


Glass Memories

by Rolex



Category: citrus - サブロウタ | citrus - Saburouta
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Drama, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-05-08 12:22:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14694156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rolex/pseuds/Rolex
Summary: It began with a party. A little fun, suggested by Yuzu before starting off their new lives in college. But what was meant to be a just a fun social gathering leads to opening up old wounds Yuzu and Mei thought they both sealed up long ago. Despite this new life they're trying to live, both realize they can't keep running from the scars of the past forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ever since 38 dropped it pretty much told me that this manga is gonna be going rather slowly for awhile. So, to compensate, I decided to distract myself by writing this. 
> 
> Enjoy ( ͡° ل͜ ͡°)

She didn’t know why she agreed to this. But Yuzu was so persistent, and with the face she made earlier, of course Mei couldn’t resist. But now that Mei was here, holding onto Yuzu’s hand as she stared at the rowdy house in front of her, she wanted to back out immediately.

Actually, with the way things were going inside that house, she was glad that she accompanied Yuzu. The idea of leaving her girlfriend to go off at some random college party alone would probably have left Mei fretting the whole night.

Who knows what kind of trouble Yuzu would get into?

However, Mei attempted to reason this probably wouldn’t be so bad, despite how unruly many of the students acted. With the new college life, Yuzu wanted to have that college experience people in her classes kept talking about. It was only the first week and she wanted to partake in that fun.

“The term just started,” Mei flatly pointed out, “and you want to what?” her arms were folded across her chest and stared down at her girlfriend almost as if she was lecturing a child. “Do I have to remind you that you only barely got in to the university right by the one I’m attending?”  

“I know, I know!” Yuzu acknowledged that she wasn’t the best student back in high school. And it was probably a good idea to start strong in her studies at the beginning of the term, but she felt like trying out what everyone else seemed to get into. “I just thought it would be fun. You can come with if you’d like.”

Mei only shot a scolding glare at the other girl, “and participate in that...nonsense?” She had heard stories about college parties from old movies and from some of her classmates at her own school. The drinking alcohol until losing consciousness, the constant mingling within a confined space, the substances used… 

The whole thing seemed entirely unappealing and distasteful to Mei. However, with a new city to live in came new experiences, and Yuzu wanted to try out everything.

“You don’t have to come,” the older girl sheepishly replied, “I just thought it would be nice to go together. But it’s okay.” She knew how much Mei preferred a more peaceful and quiet atmosphere. But if Yuzu had to be honest, going to a large social gathering to meet unfamiliar people in an unfamiliar city slightly terrified her, and wanted to at least experience this with her girlfriend.

Mei crumbled under Yuzu’s disappointed expression and sighed. Maybe it really wouldn’t be such a bad idea? Maybe the way those parties were described weren’t completely accurate? If she was trying something new with Yuzu, then it probably shouldn’t hurt.

“I’ll go,” Mei sighed as she melted under that pleading gaze.

Yuzu lit up. “Really?”

“Yes. I’ll go and see what this is all about.”

Out of sheer excitement, Yuzu scooped Mei up from the ground and into a gripping hug. “Thank you, Mei! I really appreciate it!” she placed her down back on the ground before continuing, “and if you don’t feel comfortable at any time, just tell me and we can just go home right after, okay?”

Mei simply nodded.

While the younger girl did trust Yuzu’s judgement from time to time, she did slightly worry her girlfriend would be influenced easily. Remembering how Yuzu often lied to herself to maintain her friends and social life, and also the incident where Yuzu got depressed after hearing what her “friends” thought about her relationship with another girl, concerned Mei. Sure, Yuzu had grown considerably after high school, but college was still a new experience for the both of them, especially for the older girl.

As Mei felt the blaring music pounding away at her chest, she was only hoping this would be a one-time thing for the both of them.

“Well? Come on!” Yuzu pulled at Mei’s hand to walk in, but the younger girl didn’t seem to budge. This caused the older girl to look back to her girlfriend with concern, “are you sure you want to be here? You don’t have to force yourself.”

Yuzu’s softened voice seemed to reach Mei’s ears despite the deafening noises in the background. As hesitant as she seemed, she was willing to try being here with the other girl. She turned her head to face Yuzu. “No, I’m fine. And it’s okay, I’m not forcing myself.” She grumbled a bit before adding, “just make sure we don’t stay out too late. I know it’s the weekend, but I don’t want this turning into a habit.”

“Don't worry, Mei!” Yuzu winked, “it’s just a little fun. I’ll be responsible, promise!”

Once the two reached past the doorway, it was if they both stepped into a completely different world. Lights were dimmed, almost the whole place smelled like alcohol, and the packed bodies made the room feel warmer than usual. Based on descriptions Mei read and heard about in the past, the party didn’t seem entirely crazy. People weren’t standing on furniture, the volume was loud but not completely ear-grating, and no one was going out of their way to interact with either her or Yuzu...at least not yet.

Annoying would probably be a better word to describe the atmosphere in front of her.

Yuzu was intrigued and fascinated by the activity going on while the sight only reinforced Mei’s disdain. She inwardly groaned again and began to ask herself why she ever agreed to this. But when Yuzu flashed a smile, signaling whatever crazy experience, as Mei would put, _try_ to enjoy together, the younger girl was suddenly reminded why she decided to tag along. She didn’t even realize someone was approaching them until he said something.

“Hey!” a young boy about their age greeted, “you two new around here?”

She couldn’t tell if she was imagining it, but Mei thought she heard a bit of suaveness in his voice. Oh, no. He was going to be one of those boys.

“Yeah!” Yuzu enthusiastically responded, unaware of his possible motives.

“It’s kind of loud here,” Mei muttered under her breath.

He laughed at Mei’s comment, causing the younger girl to glare at him. “Well, that’s how it’s like here. And since you two are new, why don’t I show you and your friend a good time?” Mei automatically didn't trust him. Based on his tone, he probably wanted something.

He offered up his cup, “do you two want a drink?”

“No, thank you-” Mei cut in, bringing an arm in front of her girlfriend. She looked back to Yuzu, signaling either of them wouldn’t partake in the activities occurring, “we won’t plan on staying long anyway.”

Yuzu pouted at the reminder. As much as she promised both to herself and to Mei that she would remain on top of her studies, the older girl still wanted to have a bit of fun. It was still the beginning of the school and she may as well enjoy herself until she’d sell her soul to textbooks and lectures.

“Oh, okay then!” the boy replied, “I could still show you two around if you two want.” He brought up his hand to introduce himself, “you can call me Kyo.”

The prospect of meeting new people excited Yuzu and took his hand to return the greeting, “I’m Yuzu. And the grumpy one next to me is my girlfriend, Mei.” The statement made Kyo freeze up as he was still shaking Yuzu’s hand.

An odd feeling came over Yuzu the moment after she said that. Introducing Mei so openly as her girlfriend to someone else was something she couldn’t do as often due to their previous situation.

Now that she thought about it, this was probably the first time she was introducing Mei as her girlfriend to anyone at all. Being this open and out about it made Yuzu’s heart swell. And now that they were in a different city with a fresh new start, it’s not as if people can quickly realize they were step-sisters. They no longer needed to keep their relationship a secret, and the blonde was eager to continue. Of course, so as long as they were both careful how much information they gave out regarding their relationship.

“Your...girlfriend?” Kyo wanted to confirm he heard that right.

“Yep!” Yuzu beamed, “she’s really smart, top of her class when we were in high school, oh! And she was the student council president for three years!” she turned back to Mei to give her a cheeky grin, “I got in trouble a lot because she could be a bit of a hardass and stickler for the rules. But she was an amazing student council president,” Mei’s ears reddened the longer her girlfriend gushed about her, “she can be kind of sulky and doesn’t really know how to express herself sometimes, but…” she tightened her hold on Mei’s hand and placed her head on her shoulder, “despite any problems that might come up, I love her.”

“Yuzu…you know I can introduce myself,” Mei turned away, attempting to hide the blush spreading throughout her face. When she first received her ring from Yuzu, she remembered how she told her she wasn’t comfortable announcing their relationship to the world. And while she still found no need to proclaim her relationship to everyone, the way Yuzu proudly talked about her brought an unfamiliar, but warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest.

It would take awhile until she’d get used to that feeling, but Mei wasn’t complaining.  

Seeing how head over heels they were for each other, Kyo finally got the message.

“Ah…” registering he sight before him, he let go of Yuzu’s hand and ran it through his hair in embarrassment, “I’m so sorry. I probably should’ve known that earlier when I saw you two holding hands,” he then eyed their necklaces, “and saw those rings,” then looked over to Mei’s face, “and noticed the way your girlfriend was glaring at me earlier.” He let out a sheepish laugh afterwards before apologizing, “I hope I didn’t cause any trouble for you two."

Yuzu didn’t quite understand his apology at first until she registered his advances from earlier. Her eyes widened and she began scratching the back of her head, “oh no! You didn’t bother us,” she turned her head to Mei, who reverted back to her calm and cool demeanor. “At least...not me.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone then. But if you need any help, you can always ask me!” And with that he left.

Mei’s heated gaze simmered down as soon as he walked away. Good riddance. He didn’t look like a bad guy, especially the moment he backed away after realizing she and Yuzu are together, but she was hoping no other guys would insist trying to spend time with either of them.

During the days she was forced to attend those parties to meet her possible suitors, she recalled how often each man tried to woo her with their charm and sweet words. Yet, at the end of the day, they were all the same. Each of their ‘promises’ were laced with the same motivation--to get close and be rewarded with her money, her status, or even her body. Udagawa may have been a far better candidate than Amemiya, but it was no different. Even though Kyo immediately backed away, his earlier intentions were a bitter reminder of what she dealt with before she met Yuzu.

“Are you sure we can’t stay long?” Yuzu pouted.

Mei looked at her watch to check the time. It was 9:35 PM. “We can’t and you know that. It’s too early in the term for you to be doing this. Right now you should be at home studying.”

“I know…” Yuzu groaned. “Can we at least have a drink?”

Her girlfriend just stared at her with deadpan eyes, indicating her answer was most likely going to be a ‘no’.

“Maybe a little,” Mei suggested to both her and Yuzu’s surprise. “Nothing too crazy. I don’t want to be carrying your body on the way home.”

This was her first step to opening herself up to different experiences with Yuzu. If she was the version of herself back in high school, she wouldn’t hesitate to decline accompanying the blonde to a place like this. Yet, here she was, possibly about to share a drink with her girlfriend in an unfamiliar setting.

Besides, Mei needed something to drown out the bothersome noises in the background.

“I’ll go find something for us, okay!” she loosened her grip on the other girl and walked over to the kitchen to grab a cup.

About ten minutes passed and Mei began feeling uncomfortable standing alone. She could’ve at least gone with Yuzu. Looking to her left she noticed a couple people in a corner inhaling into glass pipe and exhaling fumes right after. Loud chanting bombarded her eardrums on her right. She turned to the source and found a group of college students bouncing a small ball into a red cup at the end of the table.

The place seemed too unfamiliar to her, and while Mei had been used to being around many people before, the crazy party setting honestly felt too much to her. Subconsciously, she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to shield herself away from her surroundings.

This wasn’t the same as being dragged to go shopping with Yuzu and their friends, or being forced to attend those wealthy and elite parties her grandfather took her to. Though, those were no better either.

After about another minute passed, she walked over to the kitchen to find Yuzu, only to come across her laughing and surrounded by other college guys.

The sight left Mei fuming.

Didn’t Yuzu say she wanted her to come and have fun together? She could’ve gone on her own, seeing how much other people are able to entertain herself. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Mei closed her eyes and took a deep breath to recollect herself. No, Yuzu wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t use her and play her like that.

Unlike what she did.

Between the two of them, Yuzu would usually be the first one to be upfront and direct about a problem or difficult situation. As soon as she maintained a level head, she approached Yuzu.

“Mei!” Yuzu smiled, offering a cup to her, “sorry I took so long. I didn’t really know what I could get you, so I asked what’s the best stuff around here.”

“I’m fine with anything, thank you,” she suddenly felt their attention directed towards her. With how often suitors did this to her in the past, this was nothing new. Ignoring their gazes, she grabbed the cup and took a small sip.  The taste was rather strong, and a little different compared to a few of the wines she would drink at those rich parties she once attended, but it wasn’t anything her taste buds found unsatisfying.

Noticing the grimace on Mei’s face after taking a sip, Yuzu chuckled. But when Mei’s expression remained, her face faltered and took that as a sign that staying too long would be a mistake.  

“Thanks for helping me out,” Yuzu told the other guys, “but I think I should go.” She grabbed ahold of Mei’s hand and guided her to a “quieter”, less-crowded area. Holding onto Yuzu’s hand was nothing new, but for some reason, the contact suddenly put Mei at ease.  

While the rest of the guys left, both girls didn’t notice one of them was trailing from behind. Mei was preoccupied with minor distractions floating in her head, while Yuzu was too focused on the younger girl’s well-being.

“I’m really sorry about that,” Yuzu apologized again.

“Why did you drag me along if you could just entertain yourself?” Mei snapped, sounding harsher than intended. She immediately regretted how her words stung Yuzu. Averting her eyes away, the younger girl hastily apologized, “sorry...I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”

“No, no! It’s fine, really,” she took her’s and Mei’s cups and set them down on a nearby table and grasped both of the other girls hands, “you know I came here to have fun with you!” A pause followed, knowing that it probably wasn’t a good idea to joke around,“I shouldn’t have left you alone there, anyway.”

After pulling out her phone to check the time, Yuzu noticed it was approaching 10 ‘o clock, then looked back up at Mei, who remained discomforted. Despite the environment not being overly rowdy as many other parties she’d heard about, she could tell the whole thing seemed too overwhelming for Mei. The younger girl would much rather just stay at home reading a book, after all. Or maybe they just went to the wrong kind of party?

Either way, Yuzu knew Mei didn’t want to stay any longer. And it hadn’t even been an hour yet. Even though it was a weekend, she also didn’t want to risk being scolded by Mei about the importance of a consistent sleep schedule the next morning.

Yuzu closely observed Mei’s expression again, “you can always tell me if you want to go home right about now.”

“Please,” her voice didn’t sound annoyed, but more exhausted, desperate even. In all honesty, she wanted to leave the moment Yuzu left her alone to get a drink. No one bothered her during that moment before she decided to go find the blonde, but she was afraid of another “Kyo” attempting to woo her, or even worse, woo Yuzu.

“Okay! We can catch the next train in about 15 minutes if we leave now.”

“I’ll just go use the restroom first before we leave,” Mei mentioned. Yet, before she made her way, she noticed a few tipsy college students hastily dragging their feet to the toilet, immediately throwing up. She turned back to Yuzu with a deadpan face, “on second thought nevermind, let’s go home.”  

Before they began heading out, Yuzu started feeling her back pocket and froze, “crap!”

“Is something wrong?” Mei asked.

Yuzu let out a sheepish laugh, “I guess I might've forgotten my wallet somewhere. Glad I checked before we got to the train station!”

“You really need to be more careful with your belongings,” Mei chided.

“I know, I know!”

The weird thing to Yuzu, was that she didn't even remember pulling her wallet out when she went to get a drink. And based on how functional she still was, was barely drunk to forget either. But that didn't matter. What mattered was finding it and leaving so they could go home.

Before she went back to the kitchen, both Yuzu and Mei noticed a tall guy with dark brown hair approaching them.

“I think you forgot this?” he said as he pulled out the blonde’s wallet.

Without questioning how her wallet ended up in this guy’s hands, Yuzu went straight to thanking him as she took it back. “Oh, thanks!” Meanwhile, Mei eyed him skeptically. What was his plan? What did he want? What were his intentions? She completely ignored her possibly ridiculous assumptions towards this random stranger. Kyo already came off as warm and friendly to both of them, but this guy’s aura kept her alert to any possible advances he could make.

“Say…” he began, “you two aren’t leaving so soon, are you?”

“Yes, we’re leaving,” Mei curtly replied before tightening her grip on Yuzu’s hand.

“Oh...well that’s a shame,” he turned to face Yuzu, “I was hoping to hear more about you.”

There was a similar suaveness in his voice that Mei picked up when Kyo first introduced himself, and the younger girl groaned inwardly that she had to endure this all over again.

Yuzu let out a chuckle, “sorry about that, but it is getting late. Maybe another time though!” she wanted to remain friendly, but hastily attempted to cut the conversation short when she felt Mei release a sigh. The younger girl was beginning to feel impatient and Yuzu wasn’t going to force her to stay any longer.

The two were about to walk towards the front door until he stepped in their path, much to both girls’ surprise. “Whoa, whoa. Hey, you can’t be leaving yet. It’s rude not to give a proper introduction. You still didn’t give me your name,” he said referring to Yuzu, then turned his gaze towards Mei, “or your’s”

Although he wasn’t any taller than her, Mei stood cautiously in front of the guy towering over them both. She had dealt with these kinds of guys before, though most of which were much older than her. But the age didn’t make much of a difference, he was showing the same unwanted forwardness as some of her previous suitors. This was nothing new to her, but having Yuzu involved added more to her frustration.

Didn’t this guy get the message they had no time for more idle chat? Her patience was running thin with every second he stood there, almost as if he was expecting them both to give what he wanted.

Mei spoke up and raised a brow, “and what gives you the right?”

Instead of responding right away, he laughed in response. “Well, I’m the host of this party, of course! It only makes sense I know who and what kinds of people are here,” he turned his head around, for a brief moment, which seemed like a good opportunity to escape the conversation.

Yuzu was hoping that would be enough time for her and Mei to leave immediately, but were both obstructed when he placed an arm on the wall.

“Hey! Whoa, we’re not finished talking yet,” his voice wasn't dripping with anger, but both girls could tell he was losing his patience the longer they stalled.

Giving out a name wouldn't hurt.

Hoping he wouldn't notice, Yuzu sighed in exasperation, more so for Mei, before introducing herself. “I'm Yuzu.” She could have introduced Mei again like she did towards Kyo, but seeing how forward the guy was being, could tell Mei wasn’t exactly in the mood for another formal introduction. This guy didn’t exactly deserve it either.

“Like the fruit, right?”

Yuzu let out a nervous chuckle, hoping to speed up the conversation, “yeah…”

“I already knew that,” he answered smugly, “I checked your wallet when you left it back at the kitchen. Like I said, I should always know who and what kinds of people decide to come to my parties,” he gave a quick look at the both of them as a whole, “and from the looks of it, you two aren’t half bad-”

“What do you want?” Mei interrupted. If he wanted a name, then fine. If he wanted to act stupid in front of them like a few others in the room, then okay. But if wanted to continue stalling, in hopes of capturing either of their affections, then he was wasting time, for him and both girls.

“When you walked in to meet with your...friend. Almost all the guys surrounding her immediately directed their eyes at you,” he leaned in a little closer, arm still firmly placed on the wall. While Mei firmly stood her ground, the proximity subconsciously caused her to tighten her grip on Yuzu’s hand. Underneath all that disinterest and apathy, Mei could almost feel herself shrinking as his breath approached her face. And even though Yuzu was right next to her, she almost felt trapped, helpless. Hopeless.

Almost as if it was Amemiya cornering her right at that moment.

Her grip on Yuzu’s hand was the only thing keeping her invasive thoughts in check. He kept his gaze straight at her, and Mei did her best from averting her eyes away. She didn’t want to crumble under him.

It didn’t make much sense to her, though. Mei had dealt with these kinds of men before. What made this situation different? Yuzu was with her at that moment, so why did she feel so...afraid?

“...must be nice having all that attention,” he continued, “you’ve definitely captured mine.”

Barely a second passed, and Yuzu yanked Mei away from his vicinity. She quickly checked her arm to see if she hurt Mei, to which the other girl denied. If anything, Mei was thankful for the forceful escape. But that didn’t make their host too happy.

“What’s the big idea?” his aggressive reaction caught attention of almost the whole house. Eyes were now focused on the three of them, and the only sound was the blaring music playing in the background. Both Yuzu and the boy standing in front of them ignored the increased attention, while the sudden change in atmosphere only brought more tension to Mei.

“She doesn’t want your attention,” Yuzu stressed.

The guy scoffed, shooting an annoyed glare at her for ruining his opportunity to try and “get to know” Mei. “Relax, will you? What are you, her girlfriend or something?”

His mocking remark backfired when Yuzu shot a smug face at him. “Yeah, I am,” ignoring the intense stares and whispers all around them. She raised a finger pointedly at the guy, “so you better back off before things get ugly.”

He narrowed his eyes at the both of them. She was hoping that the message they're both taken would make him back away like the last guy. Except this guy wasn't the same as Kyo, and instead, smirked at her. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah,” she responded, unrelenting.

“Prove it.”

That caught both girls off-guard, and Mei couldn't exactly comprehend what he meant by that. Prove what? Sure, their rings weren't always visible, but someone had to have at least noticed the hand-holding. What other message did this guy want?

“Excuse me?” Mei balked.

“I said,” he challenged, “prove it,” hoping to see what he'd be expecting. “If you two really are together, then why don't you two give each other a kiss?”

“Um…” Yuzu mentally took a step back as her arm lowered, then briefly looked towards Mei. Maybe if she was drunk and possessive that moment, she'd grab Mei and kiss in her in front of everyone there just to show she's taken and belongs to nobody else. Yuzu always had this sense of acting reckless and impulsive, but with good intention, as Mei once put it.

And although both girls had grown more accustomed to being open about their relationship in public, Yuzu remembered Mei’s words about not wanting to announce their relationship to the world. Whether it was due to the younger girl finding it unnecessary or her own comfort zone, Yuzu wanted to continue respecting Mei’s wishes.

Besides, giving some asshole “a show” was completely different than simple public displays of affection.

“I knew it,” he scoffed after they didn't give him a direct answer, almost sounding a little disappointed he didn't see what he wanted. “That whole girlfriend thing is just an act isn't it? To keep her,” he pointed at Mei, “away from guys like us, right?”

Mei wanted to roll her eyes. Even if she wasn't dating Yuzu, which was something she didn't like thinking about, she wouldn't want to continue entertaining him. What was up with this guy’s attitude?

“And...what kind of guy would you be?” Yuzu asked, patience running thin as she continued to tolerate his ugly behavior.

He eyed them both, then took a deep breath to recollect himself. Both of them seemed interesting enough to him, especially Mei. He couldn’t exactly describe it, but there was something alluring about her that made him want to know more, and he wasn’t going to slip up by scaring them off. Trying his best to give a genuine smile, he replied with the utmost polite tone, “oh, you know. Just the kind that wants to give people a good time. This is my house, so I figured I let my guests have a little fun.”

Yuzu wasn’t exactly buying it, but she could feign forgiveness if it meant avoiding him blow up towards the two of them. Mei, on the other hand, still kept her guard up. His quick shift from frustrated and demanding to charming and polite was all too familiar to how she dealt being around Amemiya for a few months.

“I noticed you feeling all tense earlier,” he mentioned, looking at Mei. He paused for a brief moment before stepping closer towards her, “I wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier. Why don’t I try and show you two a good time?” hiding the fact he was only trying to get close to Mei. “Actually, why don’t we just start over. I’m Keiji, and you are?” he introduced while holding his hand out.

“Leaving,” Mei bluntly replied.

That didn’t exactly answer his question.

Mei didn’t want to keep any eye contact with him whatsoever. It was probably getting late and this guy was being persistent to no end no matter how many times both of them turned him down.

“Thank you for your...hospitality,” if Mei could even call it that, “but as Yuzu said, we should be leaving.”

“All I asked for was just a name,” Keiji reiterated, taking a deep breath once again, “it would only take you two seconds, maybe even less. I mean, I gave you mine, so it’s only fair”

The younger girl gave him a deadpan glare, “but I didn’t ask for your name.”

“Geez, why are you being so difficult,” he frustratingly muttered under his breath.

“Yuzu, can we please go home now?” her fingers were rubbing the temples on her head in an attempt to ease herself.

“C’mon!” Keiji bursted, completely losing his patience with Mei, “I asked for one simple thing and you won’t even bother to give me an answer!”

“Hey, leave her alone!” Yuzu stepped in, shoving him away from Mei, “if she doesn’t want to then just leave her be! I’m sorry, but we really should be leaving,” she grabbed ahold of her girlfriend’s wrist and began walking towards the front door, ignoring any more possible advances from their oh-so-friendly host.

Keiji watched as the two began heading towards the exit. Yuzu and Mei were almost expecting him to continue his pursuit and try to chase them down, but as they were nearing the doorway, Mei could feel herself relax. Finally, she was going to be out of this zoo.

Everyone around them watched awkwardly as the two were about to leave. They slowly resumed their usual party activities of drinking and socializing as Yuzu and Mei continued walking. And although, Mei never particularly cared about the opinions of others, she was glad that everyone around them averted their attention away from them both and began minding their own business.

“Fine, leave if you want,” they both heard him call out. Mei rolled her eyes at his persistent attempts again while Yuzu pretended not to hear him. “I really wouldn’t want anyone here who has no sense of manners.”

The younger girl nearly wanted to shoot a glare at Keiji. If anyone was being rude and lacking a sense of manners, it was him. Why anyone would want to come back to a social gathering hosted by a guy like him was beyond her.

“Just ignore him,” Mei heard Yuzu whisper.

“You know, Yuzu,” he began, almost causing the older girl to stop in her tracks at the mention of her name. “If you really say you’re her girlfriend, I don’t see how you can even put up with someone like her.”

Yuzu felt Mei’s hand tense up after he threw his stinging comment. She picked up her pace after quickly reminding Mei to just ignore his banter. Reacting to his behavior would only give him the satisfaction of their attention. Yet, he still continued, trailing behind them.

There were still a few people watching the scene play out, and while Yuzu was annoyed to no end, she was easily able to block him out. However, while Keiji didn’t know either of them, Mei couldn’t help but feel called out, as if he knew something. He continued speaking, and it felt like an eternity before they would be close to leaving. He went on about how Mei treated him earlier, how it felt a little unfair he was ignored after how polite he tried being, and how someone like Yuzu ended up with someone like her.

They were about to step out before Keiji’s words began to stick with Mei.

“Really, it doesn't make sense and honestly? You seem like the kind of person who would just dump people whenever you’d feel like it.”

She had been used to people throwing off-handed comments and opinions towards her while she was still the student-council president. Though, Mei usually never cared. It’s not like these people knew her. But right now, she felt like wasn’t even hearing Keiji.

She thought she was hearing Matsuri.

“How did you even break up with your previous exes?” he rambled, “was it through a text, a handwritten note?” Mei stopped in her tracks, allowing herself to continue absorbing his words, “or maybe not even say anything at all.”

She heard a sharp cry of pain then a loud thud. A few seconds passed and Mei barely registered the ceased voices and lack of Yuzu’s grip on her wrist. 

“Yuzu?” turning around, her eyes widened at the sight before her.

Keiji was on the floor with his hand clamped over his jaw, while Yuzu was standing over him, fist held up and face red from frustration. Everyone around them had directed their attention back to the three. The music abruptly stopped, leaving the room in a tense and almost uncomfortable silence.

Glaring at her from below, he removed his clamped hand and managed to speak through the pulsing pain on his jaw. He wasn't going to have Yuzu get away with what she just did.

“W-what the hell?” his voice bellowed throughout the room, “what was that for?”

Yuzu squinted at him skeptically after his last remark before yelling at him. “You know very well what the hell that was for!”

Rushing to Yuzu’s side, Mei quickly grabbed ahold of her arm to prevent her from possibly throwing another punch at him. She felt Yuzu’s chest heaving, then glanced over to her hand and found it was shaking. Pleading for her to just leave the boy be, Mei tried pulling her away. She didn’t want Yuzu to stir anymore trouble, or worse, have the older girl damage her hand even further. He already got what he deserved anyway.

“What makes you think you can be mouthing off my girlfriend like that?” completely ignoring the searing pain on her right hand. “You don’t even know us, or her! Or anything!”

“Yuzu, let’s just go,” Mei said in a low tone as she tried blocking out the intense gazes from everyone in the room.

“You better listen to her,” Keiji warned, “before I kick you two out.”

“Is that meant to be a threat?” Yuzu challenged. If it wasn’t for Mei holding her back, she would’ve landed another one on his face, no hesitation. She felt Mei’s fingers grip harder on her arm silently telling her to stop.

“What’s going here?” a familiar voice called out. It was the boy they met earlier.

The two girls watched in confusion as he rushed over to the injured boy’s side.

“Kyo! Are these your friends?!” Keiji angrily asked.

Kyo just looked at Yuzu and Mei nervously, not knowing how to respond. “N-no?” then quickly changed his answer,” y-y-yes? At least I think they are?” their faces didn’t look upset or angry for his association with Keiji, so he kept his answer. He just met them that day, and they all seemed to get along within those brief two minutes of introduction--well at least with Yuzu. They probably did think of him as some sort of friend. If not, then just a good acquaintance.

“Well, friends or not, tell them to get out!” he demanded. “They’re not welcome here anymore!”

Yuzu sighed, then lowered her arm while maintaining her heated gaze on him, “it doesn’t matter, we were just leaving.” They’ve been here long enough.

As soon as they walked out the front door, Mei felt like she could breathe again. The cold night air filled her lungs with a sense of relief. She honestly forgot what had just transpired a few minutes ago. And within that brief hour Mei was trapped in that house, it made one thing clear to her.

She was definitely not doing this again.  

“Ow…ow…ow, aaaahhh!”

Yuzu’s cries of pain snapped Mei out of her own thoughts and quickly turned her head in concern.

“Yuzu!” she took a closer look at the older girl’s hand and found there were no signs of external damage.  

“I think…” she managed under the creeping throbbing pain, “I think the adrenaline wore off. And...I think I might need a doctor.” She gave Mei a sheepish smile.

Mei simply sighed before reprimanding her girlfriend, “you really shouldn’t have done that.”

“But I had to!” Yuzu protested, “I just...I just couldn't stand the way he was talking about you like that,” then muttered under her breath, “as if he even knew us.”

“Let me see,” Mei carefully held Yuzu’s damaged hand, unaware of her own hands trembling. Yuzu took note of this and placed her free hand over Mei’s in an effort to soothe her after all that happened. “I can try to fix it up the best I can at home. It’s rather late, and if it's still hurting by tomorrow I can come with you to the hospital in the morning.”

Yuzu gave Mei a warm smile at the thought, but then faltered as she remembered the effect Keiji’s words may have had on other girl.

“Hey...Mei?”

“Hmm?” still focused on the older girl’s hand.  

“I hope that didn't scare you. You know...what that guy said.”

She looked up to face Yuzu. “It's like you said, he doesn't know us,” she curtly replied, “his words mean nothing to me,” even though her body reacted otherwise. “You on the other hand…”

“Mei…” Yuzu snorted, playfully shoving her away, “was that meant to be a pun?”

Mei raised a brow. She didn’t realize her words came out that way, and rolled her eyes in a playful manner.

“Also…I just hope you don’t think about it too much,” Yuzu said softly, but almost hesitantly, “all of...that is over and we don’t need to worry about that stuff anymore.”

It was still surreal to Mei how things worked out in their favor. Mei considered herself extremely lucky in how things played out after the whole arranged marriage with Udagawa ordeal. Any other person would have been yelling and screaming their lungs out to her for what she did. Actually, any sane person wouldn’t have taken her back after the mess she caused.

When Mei begged for Yuzu’s forgiveness, Yuzu had rightfully been cautious and wary around the younger girl. Mei expected this reaction from the blonde and was fully prepared to deal with the consequences. She was ready to take Yuzu’s harsh words, criticism, whatever the older girl needed to throw at her.

She was even willing to take a punch in the face from Yuzu if it meant having her feel better. Whatever Yuzu needed to throw at her Mei would take it all. She felt she deserved it anyway after putting Yuzu through all that. Either way, Mei was sure she didn’t want to lose Yuzu again, and was prepared to do whatever took to earn her trust once more.

What she wasn't prepared for was Yuzu’s complete acceptance of taking Mei back. There were still awkward silences, stares, and short conversations within the first few days they met again. Mei figured it would take months before they could do something as simple as hold hands again, something the younger girl unfortunately took for granted during those months they went out in high school.

About two weeks after the two reunited, it was as if the older girl had completely forgotten about their “temporary” separation. All of a sudden, Mei was bombarded with constant reassurances, soft words, and physical contact which didn't include slaps or punches--all of which were a stark contrast to what she was expecting.

Before the two left for university, Yuzu had always repeated the same words over and over to Mei.

_It’s okay._

_It’s in the past now._

_Let’s just not think about it._

What mattered to Yuzu was that Mei came back and ultimately chose her. To Yuzu, Mei’s pleading was enough to take her back. And the younger girl didn’t quite understand why Yuzu easily forgave her like that.

But no matter how many times Mei questioned it, it was always the same response from Yuzu.

“I know we went through a lot,” Yuzu once told her, “but now, all that matters is that we’re together again. I don't want us dwelling on the past so much. I just want us to make new memories from now on.”

New memories. Not dwelling on the past so much. It was all Yuzu ever focused on when it came to their relationship. After countless persuasions from the older girl, Mei stopped her questioning and simply let things be.

Maybe it was better this way. There was no use in opening up old wounds again.

“I know…” Mei finally, but absentmindedly responded. “Anyway, let's go home. We still need to treat that hand.”

Mei gently let go of Yuzu’s hand and motioned for her to follow. Hopefully, their previous delay wouldn't have them miss the next train. But when she didn't hear Yuzu’s footsteps follow behind her, Mei turned around in confusion.

“Um...Mei, you know I still have this hand, right?” Yuzu grinned as she held out her left hand.

“Right,” Mei smiled, then walked back, melting as she slowly interlaced their fingers the moment she reached the other girl.

“I think you mean left,” Yuzu teased.

Despite her confusion and previous questions, Mei was sure of one thing.

Yuzu gave her a second chance, and Mei was sure to never waste it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out I didn't realize how long this fic was going to be so, currently I have no idea how many chapters it's going to have. I do know for sure it's going to be short (chapter-wise), it's just the pacing I've established is rather slow (before I can get to the painful, heart-wrenching--I mean...the real stuff of the story o.o), leading to almost monstrous word counts. So, I decided to split things up to make it easier for myself ^^ 
> 
> One thing I want to mention is that this entire chapter is dedicated to a conversation between Yuzu and an OC (one of the characters introduced from the first chapter), and I haven't included the involvement of OCs since Hiroki (aka Yuzu and Mei's son who I created back in October for my old domestic fic...that I still haven't updated yet), so I hope you guys don't find Kyo too distracting ^^;
> 
> Anyway, here's the second chapter~

“Geez…” Yuzu groaned as she struggled to hold her pencil. “I didn’t hit that hard, did I?” 

When she and Mei made a brief visit to the hospital the morning before, the doctors simply told Yuzu her hand should be back to normal after a day and wasn’t supposed to strain it any further. That is, as long as she doesn’t lose her temper again. 

To her “luck”, she had a pop quiz today in her media studies class and found herself taking longer than needed to finish. But fortunately for her, it was multiple choice and, in her favor, was the only class she had for that day. She already got through the trouble of circling the right answers with her left hand. Now, Yuzu was hoping the note-taking part of the lecture wouldn't make her fall behind. 

Maybe she could take a few notes on her phone. At least the university she was attending gave her more liberty compared to when she was at Aihara Academy. 

Turning away from her pencil and paper, Yuzu began fishing in her bag for her phone. It had to be here somewhere.

“Um...you need help with that?” a nervous voice asked from behind. 

“Nah, I’m fine,” she nonchalantly replied while still digging through her belongings.

Yuzu’s rummaging came to an abrupt halt when she turned to source of the voice. 

“Oh…” she managed, surprised to find the first guy she and Mei met a few nights ago sitting right behind her. “Hi! You're that guy from that party a few days ago,” she furrowed her brow trying to remember his name,”um, Kyo, right?”

Kyo chuckled sheepishly, still unsure how to talk to Yuzu after the whole scene that went down that night. Especially after she and Mei saw him rush over to the guy that acted like a total ass to them, Kyo didn't know if Yuzu would even want to try and associate with him. 

He knew Mei sure wouldn't. 

“Yeah...that was me,” he sheepishly responded, trying not to think about Yuzu’s reaction if she found out how he knew Keiji. “It was Yuzu, right?” the older nodded, “I actually didn't even know we were in the same class until I saw you struggling during that quiz. Your grumbling was kinda hard to miss.” 

Yuzu looked at her hand and chuckled.

“Um...could I sit right there?” pointing to the empty seat right beside her. 

“Yeah, sure!” she happily replied. 

Kyo hopped over to the seat in front of him while the professor was preparing the lecture. It didn't take long for him to get well-adjusted until his eyes caught a glance at Yuzu’s bandaged hand. Seeing how much frustration she was dealing with while writing earlier gave him a slight pang of guilt. Even though he wasn't directly responsible, he wanted to make it up to her somehow for that mess a few nights ago.

“Anyway,” he continued, “did you need some help? I could let you borrow my notebook or even take notes for you. It could probably save you the trouble,” not realizing how much he kept staring at Yuzu’s hand. 

“I don’t mind! I’d probably be here all day, and my notes probably wouldn’t even help me if I wrote them myself,” Yuzu laughed. 

Kyo lit up once Yuzu took his offer. At least they were getting along the same way as a few days ago. 

Halfway into the lecture, Yuzu had been focused on the lesson, while Kyo quickly wrote down the most important things she told him to write--which was basically everything. Despite not having the ability to take any notes, Yuzu still found it necessary for her to be awake and learn something for once. This wasn’t high school anymore and during this first year, wanted to prove to Mei, and especially her grandfather, what she could be capable of. 

As soon as the lecture ended, Kyo handed his notebook over to Yuzu as they were walking out of the room. 

“Here,” he offered, “you could take a look at them and give it back to me once you can start writing again.” 

“Thanks!” she said as she took it and placed it in her bag. Kyo simply stood still, watching Yuzu intently as she zipped up her bag. She felt his gaze waver then raised a brow the moment she caught him looking at her oddly, “um...is there anything I can help you with?” 

Kyo’s face reddened, then berated himself for not being upfront about what he wanted to say. 

“I just wanted to apologize!” he said quickly before adding an apologetic bow. 

His sudden outburst caused Yuzu to stop in her tracks and everyone else’s attention direct towards the two of them. “Wait, huh? Hey, no need to do that!” she gestured him to get rise from his position. 

“About a few days ago,” Kyo reminded as he got up to face her, “you know, when you were with your...girlfriend.” 

She pondered for a bit, trying to recall what he meant. All he did was introduce himself. Maybe he sounded a little suave, almost as if he was flirting with her and Mei, and...

Oh…

Now she remembered why Mei glared daggers at him that night. 

Her eyes widened as the memory came back to her and similar to when they first met, quickly reminded him he had nothing to worry about. “No, no! It’s okay, it was an honest mistake! I’m pretty sure you didn’t mean any harm!” then muttered under her breath, “unlike that other guy…” 

Kyo scratched the back of his head. 

“That’s actually what I wanted to apologize about,” he clarified, “I felt I needed to apologize for all the horrible things my brother said to you and your girlfriend that night.” 

Yuzu just stared at him in confusion. It wasn’t as if he tried coming onto them after the first “no”. It wasn’t as if he made those ugly comments towards Mei. And it wasn’t as if he was the one who provoked her to punch him in the face. 

“Oh, wait what? You don’t need to apologize for that at all!” she paused, then recalled that last thing he mentioned. “Wait...your brother?” 

Yuzu stared at him with widened eyes. Her reaction nearly made Kyo want to drop all his things and run. But instead, he stood in place, paralyzed. After everything he had heard his brother said to the two girls, Kyo was prepared to receive a punch from Yuzu as well. He shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable blackout. 

“Like I said, I'm really, really sorry!” Kyo hastily apologized again. 

Yuzu snapped out of her confusion and, again, told him he had nothing to apologize for. 

“So, that explains why he was yelling at you as if he knew you,” she affirmed. “But that wasn't your fault! Your brother said some nasty things to me and Mei but you shouldn’t have to take the blame for any of that! You seem a lot nicer compared to him,” she took another good look at him before continuing. “Though, I'm a little surprised how you're even related to him. I've barely only met you two, but you guys seem nothing alike.” 

Those last words sounded slightly familiar to her. She remembered hearing them a lot back when others heard she and Mei first became step-sisters. 

Step-sisters. 

A wave of relief washed over Yuzu just thinking about how they’ve moved past that dilemma. It’s considered a miracle how she could even talk about Mei so freely without thinking about arranged marriages, maintaining status quo, or worrying about Mei’s grandfather looming over them. 

Their friends had already known about their relationship. As Harumi once said, “you two were kind of obvious the whole time.” Their parents on the other hand were understandably shocked, and all Mei and Yuzu could remember after the revelation was a long and awkward conversation about the nature of their relationship and how it started. Shou and Ume eventually came to terms with the two dating each other, but still needed time to process everything. As for Mei’s grandfather...Shou told the two of them he’ll eventually come around to accepting their relationship. Though, Mei was doubtful that would ever happen. 

He still said he would care for Mei and support her in this relationship of her’s as long as Yuzu proved to be a worthy partner for her. But she remembered his hesitance in seeing the two together in a room, and would often leave whenever the two would do something as simple as hold hands with one another. 

While his words sounded almost genuine, Yuzu couldn’t help but feel as if Mei’s grandfather was just waiting for this relationship to fail. And that Mei would “realize her mistake” and return to serving her grandfather’s wishes. 

Despite things working out in the end, there were still the occasional lingering thoughts floating Yuzu’s head. Even though Mei had chosen Yuzu over her family duties, the possibilities of Mei’s grandfather finding a way to persuade his only heir to marry another suitor still haunted her. But Yuzu would simply just push those festering thoughts away. Mei seemed to move on from it completely, so there was no need for her to still worry, as Yuzu would sometimes tell herself. 

“Uh, Yuzu?” Kyo’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. The blonde shook her head, apologizing for spacing out in the middle of their conversation. 

“I’m sorry about that! What was it that you said again?”

“I said it was kinda funny what you said since I was about to say the same thing,” Kyo chuckled nervously before continuing, “about you and your...scary girlfriend.” Images of Mei’s death glare were seared into his brain. Despite first meeting them for a brief two minutes, he couldn’t exactly imagine how someone as bright and bubbly as Yuzu ended up with someone as serious and almost reclusive as Mei. “You two seem nothing alike.”

His thoughts immediately made him want to take back his words after remembering how his brother talked about their relationship. “Ah! Um! Not that I’m saying you don’t have good taste or anything!” he began waving his hands out frantically, “I don’t really know you two that well...and I’m pretty sure she’s probably a great person! Wow…” his rambling caused him to anxiously run his hands through his hair, “here I am making unnecessary assumptions!”

“Nah, it’s okay!” Yuzu chuckled as she motioned for her and Kyo to start walking again, “we sometimes got that a lot when we’d tell people we’re going out.” When in reality, the only people she ever heard that from were Harumi, Matsuri, and Himeko.

He suddenly went back to Mei’s appearance and demeanor the other night and pondered. “Not that I’m one to judge or assume, but she looked like someone who goes to that other university. You know, that really prestigious one where almost all the honor students from high school end up? Though, I’ve heard a few horror stories about half-dead students and others on the verge of dropping out because the school was just too much for them to handle.” 

Yuzu raised a brow and looked at him in amusement. Knowing Mei’s life growing up, the younger girl had always been alone and forced to carry a heavy responsibility as a child. Yet, in spite of all that, Mei still pushed through, no matter how painful it was. Even at her “worst”, Mei was always on top of everything when it came to her studies. As much as Yuzu didn't agree with the kind of life Mei forced herself to live through, her stubborn persistence to chase after her goals as well as her mature, strict and well-organized demeanor was always something she admired about the younger girl.

She couldn't ever imagine her girlfriend falling apart in school.

“Oh, she does go to that school. And I don’t think it’s anything Mei can’t handle,” Yuzu declared proudly, “she was the student-council president throughout high school and she’s also set to inherit her family’s school after college.” 

“Whoa, really?” Kyo exclaimed, “wait...inherit her family’s school? She must be one of wealthy elites then!” he then took another look at Yuzu again, trying to figure out how they could've eventually gotten together. “Wait, I've heard about people like them.”

Yuzu nearly froze up. She mentally scolded herself for possibly giving out more information than necessary. Eventually running her family’s school? What was Yuzu thinking saying that out loud to a guy she just met? Her last name was still Aihara and they were most likely known for their schools and other educational institutions. It would only be a matter of time until he realizes. Sure, he seemed friendly now, but that might not be the case if he were to find out about her and Mei’s previous situation. 

“You have?” afraid of what he knew.

“Yeah. My dad used to work for this company that belonged to this elite family. They're stuffy and high class as my dad once told me. But they tend to stick with old traditions just to preserve their family wealth and status,” he explained, “I've also heard it's a huge burden on some of these people too. And because of that, most of them are too busy to have fun or interact with others without it being some sort of business affair.” 

“Right…” 

Those last words echoed in Yuzu’s head and she wanted to kick herself. Of course that party she took Mei out to the other night would be too overwhelming for her. Every "social gathering" she ever had to attend involved some sort of business matter. Anyone who wanted to speak with her most likely wanted something out of the younger girl, and especially after that night, only reinforced Mei's belief that that was always going to be the case. 

She never should’ve persisted on staying longer than intended. Yuzu was hoping that having Mei tag along would allow her to break out of her shell a little more. But unfortunately, that asshole’s rude demands was probably going to keep Mei in her safe shell, along with her from ever trusting other people, for awhile.

They were better off starting with more casual hangouts with the rest of their friends back from high school.

“I never understood some of the stuff that my dad would tell me about his job. But since you said your girlfriend is one of these rich people, I was wondering...if it’s okay for me to ask. How did you two…” he gestured his fingers pointing at Yuzu and the air as if Mei was right next to her, “become a thing? I can imagine how busy someone like her is. And since she’s from one of those wealthy families, aren’t they kind of stubborn in accepting relationships like yours? How did you two get around that? Actually, how did you two even meet?” his hastily covered his mouth with both hands after realizing how much information he was probably prying out of someone he just met, “crap! Sorry, if I’m asking too many questions! You don’t have to answer any of them if they’re too personal!”

Yuzu found Kyo a fond person to be around. At least he was nothing like this douchey older brother. She found him trustworthy and a potential good friend. Maybe one day, she wouldn’t mind telling him the whole story how she and Mei got to where they are now. But today wasn't that day.

“Well…” trying to maintain herself from giving away too much, “if I did tell you you’d be here all day!” 

That only piqued his interest, but didn’t press further and allowed Yuzu to continue with what she was comfortable sharing. Rather than giving the whole details, Yuzu simply told him they met in class, didn’t like each other at first, were forced to spend time together, and through all that time they spent with one another, eventually grew to enjoying each other’s company. She conveniently left out the arranged marriage ordeal from her modified story. It wasn’t necessarily something she needed to hide, unlike the step-sister issue, but more so for her own sake.

She’d rather not have images of Mei in a wedding dress standing beside Udagawa. 

“Wow, almost like a classic case of enemies to lovers,” he said, causing the blonde to chuckle at his comment. 

“I know Mei can be kind of intimidating and closed-off at first,” Yuzu began, “but she’s been through a lot. If you’re patient and get to know her more, underneath all those layers, she’s actually really sweet and endearing,” then thought back to the memory of Mei secretly stuffing Kumagorou in one of their packing boxes before moving into their current apartment, “and also a big softie.” 

A wide grin spread across her reddened face as she thought about Mei. She knew that she couldn’t go home just yet since she had to pick up some ingredients to prepare dinner for the both of them. And leaving Mei to do the cooking on her own wasn’t always the best option. The last time Mei offered to cook dinner for Yuzu, Yuzu came home to a smokey apartment and a bombardment of apologies from her girlfriend. Yuzu simply laughed at the kind effort and promised Mei she’d teach her how to prepare an actual meal soon.

Tonight would probably be a good time to do that.

Yuzu opened up her phone to find the list of needed ingredients she wrote down. It wasn’t until a short comment from Kyo caught her attention. 

“Pfft...wish I could say the same thing about my brother,” he scoffed under his breath. 

Not that Yuzu really wanted to know more about the creep who almost hurt Mei, the momentum of the conversation kept her talking. 

“Why do you even live with him?” assuming he shared the same roof with that guy after realizing they’re brothers.

Kyo paused for a moment, reminiscing on the days of the image he used to have of his brother.

“Keiji wasn’t always like that. Or...maybe I never really knew my brother all that well,” Kyo began. He went on how he used to be well-known by everyone at their old high school. Despite his intelligence and popularity, he was kind-hearted and seen as a role model by all their other classmates. Kyo mentioned how most of his friends were associated with his brother, and was hoping to branch out of that once he got to college. But instead, he ended up attending same university as his older brother. “I thought it was going to be great that I was still going to be with my brother, but then...within the past few weeks I’ve been living with him, I noticed he changed a lot and not in a good way,” thinking back to how Keiji treated Mei and Yuzu. 

Keiji could have easily feigned a story towards his younger brother, but with so many bystanders nearby, wouldn't be able to lie his way out. Even if there weren't any bystanders, the explanation his brother gave to him was ridiculous beyond belief. Mei didn't owe him anything, but he sure didn't understand that. 

“I guess what those people said was true,” Kyo said, “the freedom of college does bring out the true you.” 

Yuzu thought about his words and pondered exactly how would she change with this newfound freedom, then thought about Mei. How would she change now that she was no longer tied down to the burden of caring for her grandfather’s school at such a young age?

“Anyway, enough about Keiji,” attempting to switch the topic, “I’m guessing since we’re in the same class and talking with each other...this makes us friends?” he asked apprehensively. 

Yuzu eyed him oddly. What was he still nervous about? Just because he was related to Keiji didn't automatically make him an asshole. Besides, Kyo was probably the first friend she ever made within the first couple days in college. 

“Of course!” answering with no hesitation, “I mean we pretty much shared each other’s life stories at this point,” causing Kyo to laugh. “Why wouldn't I be? I like meeting new people!” she then pretended to be annoyed by squinting at him skeptically, “you know...as long as you don't go flirting my girlfriend.” 

Without realizing Yuzu’s playfulness, Kyo’s spine tingled at her penetrating icy stare. Now, he saw the similarities and why she and Mei are together. 

“I'll make sure to keep that in mind,” he hastily replied, not realizing how high his voice raised.

Right now, he didn't know who to be afraid of more. Yuzu or Mei.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to punklobster for giving me an idea on how to write certain scenes! And as well as mizutanitony for giving me good advice on how to flow with the rest of this chapter! I'm really hoping I can finish this before the raws come out ;_; About two more chapters left...or who knows if that number will change. It'll depend on my writing motivation ;____; 
> 
> Also, I had a little difficulty writing the last part of this chapter since I couldn't tell if I was maintaining Mei's character with her wanting to go out and socialize with Yuzu. I don't know...you be the judge of that lol

As usual, by the time Yuzu returned home, she found Mei cleaning up the apartment despite already doing so a few days ago. The younger girl kept her focus on dusting the nooks and crannies of the shelves and straightening the assorted items settled on it. She didn’t notice the sound of door closing behind Yuzu until she happily announced her arrival.

“I’m home!”

“Welcome home, Yuzu,” Mei greeted while still focused on organizing the shelf. Yuzu rolled her eyes playfully, set the groceries on the dining table and her belongings on the couch, and approached Mei from behind.

“Didn’t you already clean the apartment?” Yuzu pointed out as she wrapped her arms around Mei’s waist and rested her chin on her shoulder, “keep this up and the apartment may as well be spotless...literally,” she teased.

“It's important to maintain cleanliness,” Mei strictly reminded, causing Yuzu to smirk. There she was, at it again with that student-council president voice of her’s. “And I don't think the landlord would appreciate seeing our place eventually look like a hovel. We’re on our own now and Mother isn't living with us anymore to clean up after ourselves.”

Yuzu pursed her lips disapprovingly and pouted while Mei kept her focus on her current task. “But I do clean after myself!”

The blonde’s response prompted Mei to turn her head, finding herself unable to believe Yuzu. “What were those scattered products and hair ties doing in the bathroom the other day?” she flatly brought up, “if this behavior continues, you'll start to lose track of your important belongings such as your homework.”

Yuzu simply grumbled, “I was going to clean it, I swear! I just...got a bit sidetracked trying to finish my homework. I’m trying to stay on top of everything, remember Mei?”

“Your grades and work ethic have improved tremendously throughout high school,” Mei acknowledged, “but it seems your time management still needs work.”

During the period she was living away from Yuzu, Mei remembered hearing how the blonde nearly passed out in the middle of an exam. While Mei wanted to maintain her distance from the older girl in order for her “resolve not to waver”, or whatever cowardly explanation she could offer, she kept tabs on how Yuzu was doing through Himeko. At the time, she rationalized to herself that her oversight was to see if the older girl was maintaining her studies.

But deep down, Mei knew it wasn’t just academics she wanted to check up on when it came to Yuzu.

Every other week, Himeko would tell her about Yuzu’s academic status. Things such as her grades, work ethic, and overall focus had refined during their last year, and Mei couldn’t help but be proud of the older girl. When Himeko had told her how Yuzu was taken to the nurse’s office during an exam, Mei’s heart rate spiked. Her fretting about the condition of the blonde’s health nearly made her forget her “resolve” and, against her own wishes at the time, go back to living with Yuzu. But Himeko simply explained how the exhausted ex-delinquent had stayed up the night before, studying like crazy in order to maintain her grades.

In order for her to carry her family responsibilities while making sure Yuzu was still okay, Mei gave a message to Himeko she was to relay to the blonde about better study skills and good sleeping habits. But Yuzu wasn't supposed to know Himeko’s scolding were words personally requested by Mei. It wasn’t much, but it was the most Mei believed she could offer at the time.

“I know, I know,” Yuzu agreed as she buried her face in Mei’s neck.

Mei’s cleaning efforts halted when she caught a glance of Yuzu’s bandaged hand. Finishing the last of her dusting, she placed the duster on the side and set her hands on the blonde’s injured one.

“I assume class wasn't too difficult?” she asked nonchalantly as her strict demeanor slowly melted away.

Removing her face from her girlfriend’s neck, Yuzu cheerily responded, “nope!” then thought about the first ten minutes of her class, “well...if you exclude my groaning and grumbling because of a quiz.”

That last statement prompted Mei to turn herself around to face Yuzu and wrap her arms around her waist, “you didn’t struggle too much, did you?” picturing how frustrated the older girl must have been trying to pay attention in class.

Yuzu adjusted herself accordingly, still resting her arms around her girlfriend’s waist. “During the quiz? Unfortunately, yeah. But a friend was nice enough to help take notes for me in class! It turns out that first guy we met at that party is in the same class as me. So, thankfully, I won’t fall behind,” chuckling as she finished.

Mei almost recoiled as the only guy from that party she could recall was the same one Yuzu threw a fist at. Was he attempting another futile persuasion to get her to see Mei as nothing but a horrible person?

Her mind berated herself for the thoughts.

Wait, what was she thinking? Why would Yuzu believe a guy who knows nothing about them?

“Are you sure you can trust him?” Mei asked with concern, “I’m surprised he would even try helping you after you punched him in the face.”

“Oh, no no no!!! Definitely not him!” Yuzu hastily clarified as she shook her head. “I think we can trust this one. I'm talking about the first guy we met,” she paused for a moment, trying to keep herself from accidentally revealing his relation to Keiji. Doing so would probably cause Mei to fret about the older girl’s safety. “His name is Kyo. The one who didn't corner and say those terrible things to you that night.”

Mei tried remembering who he was and what he looked like. If she had to be honest, that whole night was nothing but a hazy memory. The most she could recall was the stench of alcohol and nothing but unwanted advances from a rather persistent guy trying to court two taken individuals. Although Mei wanted to keep any more trouble from stirring, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want Yuzu to try and knock his teeth out again.

She continued pondering whoever Kyo was until an image of a suave, yet sheepish boy came into mind.

“Oh, him,” she half-heartedly recognized. She didn't exactly trust him either. But Mei had to give Kyo some credit for backing off the moment he realized she and Yuzu are together. At least she didn’t have to worry about that other guy possibly harassing Yuzu again. “You had me worried there for a minute,” she sighed with relief, “I thought you’d be trapped in the same room with that other boy for the whole term.”

“Even if I was, I can take care of myself,” Yuzu cheekily proclaimed before holding up her uninjured hand, “besides, I still got this hand if he were to try anything on me.”

Despite Kyo’s friendly attitude during their brief introduction, Mei didn’t know if she could find herself wanting to get to know him more, let alone eventually trust him. Based on what Yuzu just told her, they seemed to be getting along and were already good friends. But just because Yuzu, herself, was a positive, open, and kind person didn’t always mean good people would gravitate towards her. Her old friends weren’t exactly the best influence nor were they supportive of her relationship with another female.

Good people.

That thought led Mei to thinking about herself, then about her relationship with Yuzu. If she ever had the opportunity to explain how Yuzu became her girlfriend, the most that would probably go on in her head is a gigantic question mark. How exactly did they get to where they are now?

The beginning of their relationship, at least as step-sisters, was messy. The middle part of their relationship could best be described as complicated. Yet, the period where the two tried to fix what they once had could be seen as, steady, almost mellow.

Especially thinking about how Yuzu easily forgave her, Mei sometimes saw their relationship as unpredictable. She would sometimes go back to those moments, especially the painful ones and try to piece together what exactly made their relationship fall into place.

Maybe it was simply luck that was on her side.

But as Yuzu once told her, it’s best not to think about it too much.

“What about you?” Yuzu asked, snapping Mei out of her thoughts.

“Hmm?” raising a brow in response, “what do you mean?”

Yuzu chuckled as Mei wondered exactly what she was asking. The older girl tucked a strand of hair behind her girlfriend’s ear before clarifying, “I meant how was class for you? Anything new or interesting?”

“No,” Mei bluntly replied, “it was just the usual. I went to class, listened, and as soon as I was done for the day, came home to finish my assignments and clean the apartment.”

It was always the same routine she had back in high school. Except now that she didn’t have the responsibility of being student-council president, Mei had a little more time and freedom to dedicate herself towards her studies, and most importantly, towards Yuzu. She wasn’t expecting her life to be any different in college. In high school, she had a few friends here and there, but most of them only stuck around her for superficial reasons. And at the time, Mei couldn't really care less. With the exception of Himeko, most of the friends she found herself associating with were primarily because of Yuzu.

Now that she thought about it, she probably wouldn’t have many friends, or if any at all, if it wasn’t for the older girl.

But then again, Mei wasn’t exactly looking for a social life in college. Her primary goal was to prepare herself well before taking over her grandfather’s position as director of the school. She didn’t need any distractions and wasn’t entirely open to the idea of having too many people get close to her. Mei had Yuzu, and she was more than enough for her.

“What’s with that look you’re giving me?” Mei questioned after noticing the glimmer in Yuzu’s eyes.

A growing smile appeared on the older girl, “well...based on what you just told me, I’m assuming you’re finished with all your homework, right?”

Mei recognized that smile and just smirked, pulling her girlfriend in closer, “that depends...did you finish yours already?”

Yuzu eagerly nodded. “Yep! I told myself I’d finish everything before I got home today! I’ve been thinking about it all day, and I’m really excited to start!”

She gave a low chuckle in response. “So am I.”

A squeak escaped Yuzu’s throat, surprised as Mei closed the distance. Her eyes remained wide open as the younger girl softly kissed her. She was about to protest, but it was as if Mei kept drinking in her thoughts. Melting in the pleasure, Yuzu’s eyes fluttered shut and she gave in. Mei loosened her grip on the older girl’s waist and ran her hands up and down the other girl’s back. Under lidded eyes, she began pushing her towards the couch, careful not to accidentally stumble over other furniture.

“Mei,” Yuzu giggled as they both pulled back for air.

Before Yuzu could manage any other words, Mei silenced her with a deeper kiss as both fell on the couch. She remembered how her kisses were initially used to shut Yuzu up whenever the older girl would annoy her. With every kiss, Mei took something, but now she wanted to give. Especially after noticing her girlfriend’s hand earlier, Mei could only imagine how frustrating and difficult it was for Yuzu to get through the day. And the younger girl wanted relieve some of that tension. Hearing a low moan escape from Yuzu caused Mei to push her deeper in the sofa.

Releasing her hold on Mei’s waist, Yuzu arms snaked around her neck and pulled her in closer. The sudden change in atmosphere clouded both of their heads with pure want that Yuzu almost forgot what she was intending to say earlier. Not that she wasn’t enjoying this right now, but this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind when she said she was “excited to start”. Pulling back again for air, Yuzu stared at Mei for a moment, hunger and need laced in her eyes.

Based on how quick she pounced at her, Yuzu thought she must've had a long day.

Maybe enjoying a few more minutes didn’t hurt. But her following gesture immediately betrayed that thought.

Closing in on the older girl’s lips again, Mei’s movements halted when she felt Yuzu’s hand on her shoulder.

“Someone’s needy today,” Yuzu smirked.

Pursing her lips, Mei countered. “Don’t pretend you weren’t feeling the same either.”

She was about to try kissing her again until Yuzu’s hand firmly kept her in place.

“Not that I don’t want this,” she began as she noticed the confusion in Mei’s eyes, “but I meant I was excited to have you help me cook dinner,” Yuzu laughed. “I can’t exactly do that right now with…” eying her right hand.

“You can be my dinner,” she persuasively added. For a third time, Mei was about to take in Yuzu’s lips again until a low growl came from the younger girl’s stomach.

“It seems like you’ll need more than just me to satisfy your appetite,” Yuzu laughed.

She didn’t want to admit it, but Yuzu was right. Not that she couldn’t prepare her own meal, but after her last attempt at trying to make something decent for Yuzu, Mei couldn’t trust herself around stoves or other kitchen appliances for awhile. She had also been preoccupied with her homework and chores that she forgot to eat a small snack before Yuzu got home.

Mei grumbled in defeat as she sat up on the couch.

While Mei was completely content with the daily routine she had in college. A part of her felt ashamed to admit there would be a select few moments where she’d absentmindedly stare at the clock in the middle of her classes. That wasn’t to say she didn’t couldn’t enjoy, or at least, find some value in her current classes. Some of them were easy, while others were challenging enough to keep her productive.

Compared to most people her age, there weren’t many things in particular she ever really looked forward to after completing her tasks. She always found contentment and comfort in her simple working routine. But ever since she grew to enjoying Yuzu’s company, spending time with the older girl was the only thing Mei truly ever looked forward to after a long day. Although, Mei now had the freedom of being with Yuzu, she knew better than to make the same mistakes of taking her for granted again.

Perhaps helping the older girl prepare a meal would be enjoyable. She rarely engaged in mundane activities such as those back then with Yuzu.

And now was the perfect opportunity to start.

“Right…” she said, trying to regain her composure. “What did you have in mind?”

“I thought about the different recipes we could try out, but decided we can start with oyakodon!” Yuzu beamed. “It's not too complicated and shouldn't even take that long to make.”

The only reply Mei could manage was a simple nod. Her face continued burning, and tried to conceal her pout as the effects of their earlier moment remained on her mind. But that didn’t keep Yuzu from noticing.

Getting up from the couch, Yuzu giggled. She felt a little bad for interrupting what they were doing earlier as Mei’s disappointment remained. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to keep going. Her day wasn’t particularly too stressful that would require her to relieve some tension for a bit. But as much as Yuzu relished the attention Mei was giving her, she wanted to get around to teaching the younger girl how to cook at some point.

Placing a kiss on the younger girl’s cheek, Yuzu assured, “we can continue later.”

“All right,” Mei sighed in defeat before smiling, “so, where do we start?”

* * *

They were supposed to prepare oyakodon. And they were supposed to be eating dinner a while ago. But with how things were going right now, both Yuzu and Mei probably thought it would’ve been a better idea to continue making out for the rest of night. At least it would’ve been easier to understand each other through mere kisses and caresses compared to whatever Yuzu was trying to say right now.

“What does that even mean??” Mei questioned as she squinted at the ingredients on the kitchen counter.

Yuzu groaned, finding herself unable to translate well in a way Mei could comprehend. Rather than explaining her words differently, she grabbed a pinch of spices in her hands and repeated herself with more emphasis.

“You EYEBALL it, Mei. You basically just look at the ingredients, and then you just know!” she said as she sprinkled the seasonings in the pan.

“You mean like this?” Mei asked after scooping up a spoonful of sugar.

“No, no! That’s too much!”

“But you just said-”

“You weren’t feeling it, Mei!” she emphasized, “you were just guessing.” She took the spoon from Mei’s hands and carefully scooped up the ‘correct’ amount.

Mei sighed, giving a deadpan stare at the older girl as she eyed the amount of sugar.

“Can’t we just use a recipe?” Mei suggested.

She had suggested that earlier, but Yuzu was adamant they didn’t need one. The older girl was persistent on teaching Mei through memory and “feeling” alone. But through the confusing language, “eyeballing”, and free reign, Yuzu should’ve known better to start off with an established set of directions for Mei to follow.

After Yuzu pulled up the recipe, meal preparation went much smoother than it did when the two first started. Mei followed the recipe almost word-for-word, with Yuzu guiding her on how to cut vegetables on the cutting board and use certain kitchen appliances, especially the stove.

As soon as dinner was ready, both sat on their wooden dining table, with Mei almost apprehensive on how well she did for her first time cooking. After taking a bite, both agreed it was rather decent. They went over the taste, the texture, and Yuzu added some advice on how Mei could do better. Surprisingly, Yuzu wasn’t talking in a completely different language as she elaborated. Mei listened intently to Yuzu’s advice, mentally cataloguing almost everything she was saying and storing it later for future reference.

A brief silence fell between the two as Yuzu continued eating her food. While Yuzu found the silence calming, Mei found it almost nerve-wracking. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable for the younger girl, but she sat there simply watching Yuzu eat. Usually, she often let the older girl speak and guide their conversations. And while Yuzu often had no problem with Mei’s short comments and silent nods of acknowledgement, Mei wanted to try starting a conversation between them for once.

The only problem was how to start.

She tapped her fingers unsettlingly on the table, struggling on how to break the silence, and pondered. What exactly did Yuzu ask her again after she came home?

“Um…” Mei began, “was there anything new or interesting that happened to you today?”

Yuzu paused in between bites and answered, “aside from Kyo,” she swallowed before continuing, “not really. I think meeting him was the only new thing that’s happened to me in college so far. Honestly, if it wasn’t for this,” she chuckled as she held up her bruised hand, “he probably wouldn’t have had a reason to talk to me.”

Mei felt herself tense up a bit after Yuzu casually brought him up again.

“I don’t think he would’ve needed much of a reason to want to talk to you,” Mei muttered.

She asked about him, wanting to know what kind of person Yuzu was hanging around with in college. Yuzu went over almost everything they shared within the time they were both heading home. When the older girl mentioned about Kyo’s knowledge about the elite families such as Mei’s, Mei perked up. Her attention increased, but also became more cautious about how much information he knew and how much Yuzu willingly shared about their relationship.

“It’s okay! I don’t think he knows about our situation. He just has a general understanding of how families like yours work, Mei. You know the uptightness, how much you guys are sticklers for rules, family wealth and status…” her carefree attitude faltered a bit as she trailed off before mumbling, “and how you’re also willing to marry someone you don’t love just to keep all that superficial stuff.”

Yuzu immediately realized what slipped out and berated herself. Why did she just say that? Sure, she did not agree with their ways, but unlike Mei, she was never raised under that life. And because of that reason, Yuzu felt she had no right to judge Mei’s decisions those several months ago.

The older girl looked towards Mei, who was calmly eating the rest of her meal. Yuzu sighed with relief. Based on Mei’s lack of reaction, she probably didn’t catch the other girl’s words. Yuzu’s eyes darted from the table, then to her food, thinking of other subjects to bring up to forget about what she accidentally just said.

“Oh, by the way,” Yuzu apprehensively spoke up as she kept her eyes glued to her food, “I was planning on hanging out with Kyo sometime later in the week and...,” she paused for moment, afraid of Mei’s reaction, “...he sort of invited me to another party.”

Mei abruptly dropped her utensil and just stared at Yuzu. Time suddenly stopped. She couldn’t tell whether she was giving the older girl a look of disappointment or concern.

It was probably both.

Another party? Especially after how the last one went? Why was Yuzu even considering going to another one, let alone with someone she just met?

Stumbling over her words, Yuzu attempted to reason with Mei why she wanted to go again. “I-I know the f-first party we went to didn’t exactly go so well! But Kyo told me the one we’re going to isn’t as big or too crazy as the last one! It’s pretty laid-back, and I heard there’s not even going to be more than 30 people.”

As bad as the first party went, Yuzu told herself it could’ve been much worse. And as much as she understood Mei’s caution, she still wanted to fully experience that social aspect of her college life. She knew these kinds of things were never something Mei enjoyed, and often, would find overwhelming. Deep down, she wanted Mei to accompany her again, but knew that possibility was almost nonexistent and wasn’t going to force her to tag along.

Recollecting herself, Mei firmly placed her hands on the table in an almost authoritative manner.

“What about your schoolwork, Yuzu?” Mei sighed, having a bit of her strict voice begin to take over, “if you let these social gatherings become a habit, they could possibly get in the way of your studies.”

“But they're not going to get in the way!” Yuzu countered as she shot her eyes up to face Mei. “I'll still keep my grades up. And I've already been working on getting ahead in homework for this week so I don't have to worry about anything at the last minute. Besides, even if these outings do become a habit, I'm still going to make time for my studies,” she added, “and especially make time just for you.”

That face. She was making that face again--the same pleading face that persuaded Mei to accompany her to their first, and probably not only, party.

“Can you at least give me a reason why you're going with a random boy you just met?” Mei asked, trying to hide the frustration laced in her voice.

“He's not...exactly random,” Yuzu justified “we’re in the same class and we’ve talked for a bit, so it's not like I don’t know anything about him. Plus, he said he’s rarely ever made friends outside of his brother’s friends. And he's my first friend too, so I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea…” she trailed off.

Mei continued staring at Yuzu, unsure of what to say. She knew what she wanted to say to Yuzu: “don’t go, you’ll only get yourself into more trouble”. But as much as she didn’t want Yuzu to go, whether it was for the older girl’s safety or...something else, the rational part of her told herself to simply trust Yuzu. While Yuzu promised to still make time for her, the reality was that the older girl went to a different university, and thus, had her own life, making her free to do whatever she chooses. And that includes who she interacts with.

“Fine,” Mei reluctantly agreed, “...just as long as you remain responsible and these social outings don’t ruin the work ethic you built in high school.”

“Don’t worry, Mei! I can still be responsible!” she assured.

Mei put a hand up, catching Yuzu’s attention. “One more thing.”

“If this is about finishing schoolwork, I told you got it under control,” Yuzu enthusiastically reminded, “don’t worry!”

“No, I mean...you can go, but…” she averted her eyes away, uncertain whether or not she was suggesting the best or worst decision for herself, “I want to come with you.”

The room fell silent. Yuzu blinked once, twice, uncertain if she heard Mei correctly.

“You want to come with me?”

“If you'll allow me to, then yes,” she formally responded, still looking away from Yuzu.

Eying her skeptically, Yuzu could tell based on Mei’s low and almost hesitant tone that she was uncertain whether or not she wanted to attend another party with her.

“Are you sure?” Yuzu asked, “you don't really seem like you want to go and I don't want you to force yourself.”

Mei sighed, looking up at Yuzu again as she finally recollected herself.

“I’m not forcing myself,” Mei firmly defended, “I just don’t want you getting into trouble, so I thought it would be best for me to accompany you again.”

“You gonna hover over me like the student-council president you always were?” Yuzu smirked, causing Mei to roll her eyes. “Or...are you going to feel lonely without me? Is that why you want to come?”

Mei kept her disapproved expression, unwilling to admit she wanted to experience a bit of that social aspect of her life with Yuzu. While she told herself she never cared much for getting too close to other people and never considered herself much of a social butterfly, unlike Yuzu, something about the blonde’s outgoing nature to experience new things compelled her to at least try and talk to others for once. On her own, Mei knew she wouldn’t bother, but with Yuzu, being with others she didn’t know very well would at least be a little more tolerable. And if she couldn’t find any enjoyment out of interacting with the people at these parties Yuzu wanted to go to, at least it gave Mei an excuse to spend more time with her.

Yuzu dropped her teasing and softly assured, “I’m kidding, Mei. I’m glad you want to come with me, but since I know these aren’t really your thing, just let me know if you’re not feeling too comfortable and we won’t stay for long, okay? And I actually mean it this time!” she hastily added after thinking about the last time she said that.

Mei nodded. Internally, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. Was she willing to endure another night being trapped in a room full of crazy college students again? Then again, Yuzu did say this one was less intense. As long as they didn’t have to run into another guy like Keiji, then maybe these social outings wouldn’t be such a bad idea every now and then.

To Yuzu, maybe these parties would be beneficial for Mei and help her break out of her shell more. The fact she wanted to go out was progress enough.

What was the harm?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I get into my fic, here are some shoutouts I wanna do (cause I feel like doing them lol) -- you guys should go over and read punklobster's newest fic, Studies with Wolves, if you guys haven't yet! It's a sweet and fluffy AU fic loosely inspired by the movie, Wolf Children (but don't worry, there's no angst in it lol). And also, you guys should read mizutanitony's AU fic, A Fresh Coat, where Mei is an artist and Yuzu is her agent ^^ 
> 
> As for the chapter itself...Oh wow, sorry guys lol. I didn't expect this chapter to be this long either, but there were things I wanted to go over, things I wanted to flesh out and well...it ended up coming out to be around 7k words...even longer than chapter 1. Anyway, big shoutout to my wonderful beta, ArcanicSoul! I struggled so hard with this chapter, but she helped clean it up, add that nice conclusion I've been tearing my hair out over, and overall knock me into shape. If it wasn't for her, I'd be suffering with editing this fic alone--honestly, she's a godsend and the best beta reader I could ever have~!

Again. 

Mei was having second thoughts again. 

Standing in front of yet another house leading into a possible zoo almost felt as if she was repeating that same night last week. But as Yuzu confirmed, this party they were about to enter wasn’t as rowdy or intense, nor did it seem to have the stench of alcohol clouding the air unlike the last time. Loud music wasn't blaring out the windows, and people seemed to carry a more, for lack of a better word, civilized aura. Mei couldn’t exactly explain it, but maybe this social outing would be different. 

But despite the seemingly laid back atmosphere, Mei subconsciously clung onto Yuzu’s arm similar to how a child would hide behind their parent. This was different than her usual elite parties her grandfather would sometimes force her to go to. She wasn’t here to sort out any business matters, which would be a much easier endeavor for the younger girl. And how would she even initiate a casual conversation with other people her age without it relating to academics or having to discipline them back when she was student-council president? She already found it difficult trying to initiate a regular conversation with her own girlfriend. 

Either way, Yuzu reassured that if Mei was struggling in a conversation, she could always jump in whenever the younger girl would need her. 

“Just make sure you don’t stay out too late,” Mei reminded, “I know it’s a weekend and you finished all your necessary assignments, but don’t get too carried away while you’re here,” then added, “and no alcohol either. I don’t know what you’re like when you’re completely intoxicated, but I don’t want to have to deal with carrying your limp body on the train ride home tonight.”

“Not even just a little?” Yuzu pleaded in that childlike tone of her’s. 

“No,” she bluntly responded. 

Despite witnessing Yuzu drink a few glasses from a bottle of her mother’s wine stash, and the time she allowed her to take a cup from their previous party, Mei was wary of a few things. She had heard a few instances where aggressive men would spike women’s drinks just to “get what they want”. 

Thank goodness that didn’t happen to Yuzu when a few guys at the first party recommended her some drinks. 

But another issue Mei had if Yuzu ever got drunk was how much she’d be unknowingly rambling on about. If she was anything like their mother when drunk, Yuzu could potentially overshare a few, if not crucial, details about her and Mei’s relationship. And both of them weren’t ready to deal with the consequences if they were to reveal that information so casually. The only ones who knew anything about their situation so far were their closest friends, their parents, and of course, Mei’s grandfather.

“I’ve seen how you get even with just a cup of alcohol,” Mei pointed out, “I’m surprised you weren’t slightly disoriented when I found you drinking in front of those boys that other night.”

“Okay, okay,” Yuzu agreed. There was no use in trying to convince Mei anyway. She came to this party to have fun with her girlfriend and meet other people. This was not a night for her to get wasted. Besides, if she did, she wouldn’t be able to witness Mei trying to break out of her shell a little more. Yuzu didn’t say it out loud just yet, but she was proud of the effort Mei was taking in breaking out of her usual comfort zone no matter how small those steps were. 

“Where is your friend anyway?” Mei asked, a bit of hesitation laced in her tone. She still wasn’t fond of Yuzu’s new friend. A part of Mei was ashamed to admit that she mainly accompanied Yuzu in a hopeful attempt to find at least one flaw in Kyo. If any major red flags were raised, then she could have an excuse to keep Yuzu away from him. 

But right now, much to her reluctance, Mei was going to do her best in trying to get along with him. 

“Kyo said he’d text me once he’s here,” she pulled her phone out to check for any messages from him. 

“Yuzu!” they both heard him call out. 

Yuzu turned her head towards the direction of his voice and found Kyo waving at the both of them. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t text you earlier,” he apologized once he stopped in front of the two, “I was too busy dealing with my brother. Said I wasn’t allowed to go,” adding air quotes towards his last statement. “I ended up locking myself in my room after he yelled at me, and didn't know if I would be able to make it! But I guess I'm here now!” he laughed as he finished.

But Yuzu just looked at him in concern. “Is everything all right?” 

It was bad enough dealing with Keiji once. Yuzu couldn’t imagine living under the same roof as him, let alone be related to him. 

“Yeah, it’s all good! Just a little argument, that’s all,” he casually brushed off, “I ended up having to sneak out just to get here.” 

That last statement caused Mei to narrow her eyes at him. Arguing with his brother? Then disobeying him by sneaking out? She didn’t know Kyo all too well, but these were already setting off flags in Mei’s head, telling her that this guy could potentially be a bad influence on Yuzu. 

“So...uh, it was Mei, right?” Kyo asked. 

“You can call me Aihara,” Mei sternly corrected. She wasn’t in favor of being on a first name basis with him. 

“Oh, sorry Aihara-san!” he hastily corrected, still intimidated by the younger girl’s intense aura. 

There wasn’t anything in particular Mei found too alarming about Kyo aside from his possibly rebellious nature and the way he came across towards the both of them when they first met. Based on Yuzu’s impression of him, as well as another opportunity meeting with him, Kyo came across as sheepish, but polite, maybe even overall respectful. But if there was anything she learned during her time with Amemiya is that charm could only go so far and appearances can be deceiving.

Mei shook her head again and mentally scolded herself for the intrusive thoughts. 

Why was she overthinking again? Was it right for her to be this cautious towards Yuzu’s first friend in college?

“Don’t mind her,” Yuzu grinned as poked Mei’s cheek, while the younger girl pursed her lips at the gesture. “It just takes a bit of time for her to warm up to people.” 

As expected, the second party Yuzu and Mei went to was nothing more than just a small hangout. There were a few wine bottles and beer cans opened and scattered across the tables, music was playing in the background at a tolerable level, and so far most of the people seemed to be focused more on casual socializing. Mei noticed a few others gathered around in a circle playing what seemed to be a board game. 

“This little party is being hosted by a friend I knew back in high school,” Kyo explained, “He’s not really a crazy partier or anything, but he hosts these every once in awhile just cause he likes hanging out and meeting new people. I figured this kind of environment would be a nice downgrade compared to the last one.” 

“It’s perfect!” Yuzu beamed as she looked around the room, “nice and comfortable. Don’t you think so, Mei?”

Mei simply nodded, still clasping onto Yuzu’s hand, “I suppose.” 

The environment wasn’t crazy at all, and the overall atmosphere reminded her of the times she would be on the sidelines reading a book while Yuzu partook in a few games and mundane activities with the rest of their friends. 

“Hey,” a random voice caught the attention of both girls. 

Both turned to the source, and were greeted by a girl with light brown hair along with a few others standing beside her. 

“Oh, hi!” Yuzu greeted. 

“Aren’t you that one girl that punched Okano-san in the face the other night?”

“Okano-san?” Yuzu raised a brow. 

“You might know him as Keiji,” she clarified. Mei couldn’t tell if she was imagining it, but she almost saw her shudder a bit at the mention of his name. Whoever this Okano Keiji was, he was well-known as he made himself out to be, but not for the right reasons. 

“Oh,” Yuzu inwardly groaned, trying to block out all the nasty things he said about Mei, “Yeah that was me,” she said before averting her eyes a bit, “I caused quite a scene, didn’t I?” 

The group of individuals turned to one another, whispering before they looked towards Yuzu in astonishment. 

“Are you kidding me? You gave that asshole what he deserved!” one of them cried out. 

Her head looked left and right at the group, eyes darting from person to person. Confused, Yuzu just stood in front of them wide-eyed and mouth ajar as they praised her. Apparently, Keiji had been infamous for being rude and intrusive towards many underclassmen, other women, and mainly those he saw he could easily manipulate. He was known for being rather persistent, and if he didn’t automatically get what he wanted, oftentimes would resort to harsh and degrading insults.

“Oh! Honestly, it was nothing!” she laughed before clenching her teeth together, “I wasn’t going to let him get away with the things he said to my girlfriend. I just did what I had to do.” Her aura suddenly grew darker as she thought about the things he could’ve potentially done to Mei had she not been there. “I’d like to see him try and mess with us again if he knows what’s coming to him,” she finished as she held up her uninjured fist in the air. 

As more negative things were being spoken about Keiji, Kyo’s face faltered a bit, causing Mei to become skeptical of the relation the two had towards one another. But because of her lack of interest towards him, didn’t bother pressing further and instead, directed her attention back towards Yuzu. 

“What was your name again?” one of the individuals asked her.

“Okogi!” Yuzu hastily said. Mei raised a brow at the mention of the older girl’s previous surname. “Okogi Yuzu! But you guys can call me Yuzu.” 

Yuzu paused a moment, soaking in the vocalizing of her old surname. She hadn’t introduced herself as an Okogi since the period before she met Mei. She felt a little weird referring herself by her old name again. On one hand, it felt nostalgic hearing it again. It reminded her of her old childhood, her old school, her old friends, and even her father before his untimely passing. The name itself was almost a relic of her old life. But while her old name brought her back to a time before she met Mei, a part of Yuzu felt relieved. Almost every day, she constantly reminded Mei, and mainly herself, that the past was no longer something they needed to look back upon. Changing from Aihara to Okogi was a step forward for Yuzu to leaving behind all those troubles and all those hardships she and Mei endured throughout high school. 

She thought she would feel a little more hesitant and unsure about the sudden name change; however, even if Yuzu was no longer publicly known as an Aihara, she didn’t feel as if her connection with Mei was severed in the slightest. They still lived under the same roof, still had their rings, and most importantly, the love they had one for another. 

The younger girl was about to ask why she didn’t introduce herself with her real name, but then remembered her conversation with Yuzu the other day about Kyo’s knowledge about families like her’s. Sometimes she wondered how people at their old high school never caught on that she and Yuzu carried some sort of relation towards one another. After all, the older girl did carry the same surname...at least until now, apparently. It was probably best Yuzu took extra precaution to avoid any possible suspicion about their relationship. Though, it might take a bit of time for her to get used to hearing Yuzu refer to herself with a different name. 

As Yuzu stood there, casually interacting with the others, Mei almost felt a hollowness settle in her heart just recalling the older girl’s introduction earlier. A part of her felt at ease, knowing their lack of name connection lessened the chances of their so-called affair being found out. But Yuzu’s old surname oddly carried a weight heavier than her own familial burdens. While the name brought nostalgia to the older girl, it only served to remind Mei of the empty and gray life she once had before meeting Yuzu.

“Oh! And this is…” the older girl paused, allowing Mei to introduce herself to these people. 

“Aihara Mei,” she formally introduced, adding a short bow afterwards.

A few of them noticed the two holding hands and recognized the younger girl. 

“You must be Okogi-san’s...girlfriend?” one of them asked with uncertainty. Despite Yuzu outright proclaiming Mei to be her girlfriend, most of the witnesses at the party thought the whole thing was an act to keep Keiji from pestering them any further.

Mei nodded. 

“So, it is true! Wow, you must be really lucky to have someone like her!” 

Warmth suddenly spread across the younger girl’s cheeks at the comment. 

“More like I’m lucky to have her!” Yuzu laughed.

Mei was about to protest. Tell her that it wasn’t true, that she had always felt lucky that Yuzu came into her life. But her words caught in her throat and simply stood in silence as the older girl continued admiring her. Or at least, admiring her while onlookers stared at them. Mei was still getting used their relationship being on the spotlight in such a casual manner. While she didn't necessarily care for being open about their relationship, a part of her would be lying if she said she didn't find Yuzu constantly gushing about each other, enjoyable.

“So, Aihara-san, Okogi-san. We were just about to play another game, you wanna join?” one of them offered. “You two just got here, so why not join in the fun? Unless you two just wanna grab a drink or sit and talk with a few people. Whatever you guys feel comfortable with!”

“Sure! I don't mind a game!” Yuzu happily replied. She felt Mei’s grasp loosen a bit after accepting the offer, causing Yuzu to turn back to her girlfriend in confusion and concern. “Mei? Don’t you want to join?” 

“I’m not really interested,” Mei replied. But when she noticed Yuzu falter, hesitating to interact with the others in the party, she added, “It’s fine, I can just watch. Just because I don’t want to doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your time here.” 

Yuzu sighed a bit before smiling. Despite the calmer atmosphere compared to the last party they went to, she should’ve known better that Mei wouldn’t automatically throw herself to socializing with every single person she came across. The important thing was that she came to try and have good time. She wasn’t going to force the younger girl partake in a potentially loud game. Mei didn’t mind being around too many people, but she had her limits. 

At least she gave out her own name without being forced to this time.

“Okay! And don’t worry! I won’t drink anything,” she assured, before remembering, “Oh! What time do you want us to head home? I know you don’t want us to stay out too late.” 

“Why? Are you two gonna be busy later?” one of them suggestively grinned. 

A deep crimson blush spread throughout the older girl’s face at the remark, then darted her eyes towards Mei. Maybe going home a little earlier than planned wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Although the guy was poking fun, the intrusive comment only made Kyo think of how his brother had chosen to disrespectfully ignore Yuzu and Mei’s relationship, and ended up elbowing him in the stomach. “Ow! I was kidding!” 

Mei just rolled her eyes at the comment before replying. “Anytime before 10 o’clock.” A part of her was also secretly grateful Kyo elbowed him after that unnecessary remark, even if it was just harmless teasing. 

“Alright then!” and with that, Mei watched as Yuzu joined in the fun. The younger girl leaned against the nearest wall and pulled out a small book to kill some time until the two needed to head home. Thankfully, the volume of the music and party guests was at a bearable level that would allow her to focus in her own little world. 

She was about to start reading until Kyo’s voice interrupted her concentration. 

“What’s it like?” he asked. 

Mei inwardly sighed with frustration. Barely a word read from her page and already, she was being interrupted. And out of everyone else she had to interact with, why did it have to be him? It hadn’t even been ten minutes casually hanging around others and she already felt like she was reaching past her limit. Reading a book would help her recharge, at the very least, and Yuzu’s presence helped make the environment she was in a little more tolerable.

“I wouldn’t know,” Mei replied, thinking Kyo was asking about her book, “I barely started this book once you came by, after all.”

Her sharp gaze caused him to lower his eyes and apologize. “Sorry! I’ll just...leave you alone then.” 

She was about to focus on her book again, but sighed. Yes, she did technically accompany Yuzu just to observe what her new friend was like, but so far he’d been nothing but kind and respectful. And there was a small part of her that did want to change the way she saw other people rather than simply locking herself away in her own little world all the time. At this point, Mei felt like she acting more like the bad guy here than she thought Kyo was. 

Putting her book away, Mei called out. “Wait,” Kyo stopped in his tracks, surprised for her reaching out and curious to what she wanted to say. There was no use in continuously shutting herself away so much. She wouldn’t be doing herself nor Yuzu a favor. “I apologize for my rude behavior,” she softly said, “What was it that you wanted to ask?” 

Although he still felt a little intimidated by Mei’s aura, Kyo didn’t get the feeling she was out to get him at this moment. Maybe Yuzu was right. Maybe Mei wasn’t always as frightening as he thought. He walked back to her and leaned against the wall right beside her. 

“You know...if you don’t feel comfortable with me, you can always just say so,” Kyo pointed out, “I’m just the kind of person who likes to talk to anyone,” then muttered to himself, “even when people don’t want a conversation.” While he mentioned how most of his friends in high school were associated with his older brother in some way, that didn’t necessarily make him socially inept, despite his sheepishness in front of Yuzu and Mei. 

He was just as social, carefree, and outgoing as his older brother at the time, but his curiosity with other people sometimes made him slightly unaware of the social cues people would give that indicated they weren’t interested in any more idle chat. Kyo knows he’s getting better at making sure he’s not overstepping boundaries, but usually when he does notice, or when people point it out, it always ends with his embarrassment and constant apologies.

“Yuzu told me how you’re not used to places like these,” he continued, “So, if anything, I feel like I should be apologizing for making you talk when it seemed like you wanted to be alone.” 

“No, it’s fine,” she answered, then paused and pondered about how much Yuzu has shared about her. Curiously, she asked, “Wait...how much has Yuzu told you about me?”

He shot his head towards her, beaming in a way almost similar to the blonde. “Are you kidding me? I’ve only known her for about a week, but sometimes I feel like I know more about you than I know her,” he chuckled before continuing, “She talks about you all the time. Admires you a lot! I remember asking her once what exactly was it that made her fall for you. And you know what she told me?” 

“What?” maintaining her composure despite how much her face was burning. 

“She couldn't think for a whole minute!” he laughed. “She went on about how pretty you are, then onto how refined and composed and well-put together you are, and...I think I remember her telling me if it wasn't for meeting you she wouldn't be where she is now.” 

“She...said that?” Mei felt as if she should’ve been saying that about Yuzu. If she never met the older girl, Mei would most likely continue going about life without truly enjoying it. Or worse, if Yuzu hadn’t intervened that first day they met, Mei would’ve been trapped in a loveless and potentially abusive relationship with her first fiance. 

Kyo relaxed his shoulders, casually leaning against the wall again after his whole ramble. 

“Yeah,” he replied. “To be honest, hearing her talk about you reminded me of the way I used to look up to my older brother.” 

Remembering his earlier comment how he snuck out just to be here despite his older brother’s demands prompted Mei to turn her head towards him and respond in an almost scolding manner.

“Then perhaps you should be more at his side than mine if you look up to him so much,” she commented, unaware that she had already met the boy’s disrespectful older brother. 

Kyo crossed his arms in response. He opened his mouth, ready to protest on how Mei knew nothing about Keiji, but sighed instead. Though, Mei would probably agree with him being here had she known Keiji’s relation to him, Kyo couldn't help but agree with her.

“You're probably right,” he acknowledged as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, “I should probably check up on him and see how he's doing.”

His concern towards his older brother caused Mei to rethink her initial judgement over him. Perhaps he wasn’t the bad influence she initially thought him to be? 

“I should probably go,” he said, straightening himself up, “Tell Yuzu I had to head home early. And have fun you two!” adding a little wave at the end. 

Mei nodded, acknowledging his leave. She then turned back towards Yuzu, who was still in the middle of a game she wanted to play with the others, and pondered about the things she told Kyo about her. 

Did Yuzu really feel that way about her? It wasn’t much of a surprise to Mei that the older girl would constantly gush about her in such a manner. Oftentimes, she would catch Yuzu gazing at her lovingly while she was in the middle of work or find her sneaking to take a photo while the younger girl was half-asleep.

A few months earlier, while the two were packing their belongings before heading off to university, Mei casually came across Yuzu’s lovebook and flipped through it out of nostalgia. There was a certain page she knew to avoid, but still looked through the rest out of her own amusement. To think, that she paid more attention to, what she saw was, a love textbook versus her own girlfriend on their very first date. Looking back, the experience could be seen as both sad and hilarious. 

During her examination of the notebook, Mei figured maybe taking it along with her to university could prove to be useful in future dates, or in general, serve as a guidebook on how to make Yuzu happy. While Mei was using Yuzu’s lovebook for “research purposes”, she came across a section titled “10 Things that Make Mei so Wonderful”. Some things made her groan with embarrassment, while others caused her to bashfully snicker in amusement. 

But the one thing on Yuzu’s list that caught Mei’s undivided attention was the last one. 

10\. Her

The first time Mei had viewed that last item written on Yuzu’s list, she fought back tears. The page that the list was on had been dogeared, a sign of dedication by Yuzu that Mei hadn’t seen in the notebook previously. The list almost looked as if it was created after she left the older girl for almost a year. It had shown that even during the time they were separated, Yuzu still admired and loved her with all of her heart. Mei remembered gripping the page tightly with her fingers, promising herself that day that she would live up to almost everything Yuzu saw her as on that list. Or at least, act in a way that reminded why Yuzu initially fell in love with her in the first place. 

It shouldn’t have been too difficult, as Yuzu would often tell her she didn’t need to change herself so much to make her happy. Mei simply needed to be herself, and that’s all that Yuzu ever wanted because she fell in love with “Mei”, not someone forcing herself to fit Yuzu’s preferences. That was a statement Mei kept close to her heart, and it was those words from Yuzu that gave her comfort that she didn’t need to match the older girl’s interests, quirks, and overall personality. 

But the fact she didn’t need to change as much for Yuzu was what left the younger girl in an almost stagnant state in their relationship. When the biggest obstacle came her way of having to choose between Yuzu and her family, of having to choose between a life of happiness or a life of emptiness--ultimately, Mei couldn’t bring herself to find the courage to choose what she wanted the most. 

While Yuzu’s words provided comfort for the younger girl back in high school, they now served as a mocking echo ringing in her ears. 

Although now that she had chosen Yuzu, and that their relationship seemed to be in a more stable place, Mei sometimes felt lingering doubts whenever she’d glance at the older girl’s smiling face. 

Did Yuzu still feel that way about her? Did she really mean all the things she had said about her to Kyo? Or was she continuously making a vain effort to restore what they once had before? In a way she and Yuzu were similar to one another, with neither of them speaking their inner thoughts much, even less about the past. As much as Mei tried convincing herself their relationship was in a better place, she knew that, from previous circumstances, things weren’t ever going to be the same between them again. Those thoughts often drove her insane, and yet Mei would keep her mouth shut, as she wanted to move on from their past drama as much as Yuzu did.

Even after things seemingly worked out, seeing Yuzu’s smile almost felt like a ticking time bomb. There would be some days where Mei would notice how off and anxious Yuzu would get whenever the mention of her grandfather, the school, or even Udagawa would be brought up. Yuzu always said she’s moved on, but to Mei, she was just waiting for the older girl to snap and finally explode at her for all the wrongs she’s made in their relationship. And yet, a couple months after getting back together, Yuzu hadn’t.

At least not yet. 

If she had to be honest, having Yuzu blow up at her would relieve some of her tension, and maybe make things between them a little easier. That is, if that potential blow-up wouldn’t end in Yuzu realizing she could do better than be with someone like Mei. 

Mei grit her teeth and chuckled bitterly at herself at the thought. 

“Mei!” the abrupt sound of Yuzu’s call snapped her out of her thoughts. 

“Huh?” she turned to her side, not realizing Yuzu had been standing there for a brief moment. 

“It’s almost 10. I thought, maybe you wanted to head home soon,” Yuzu reminded about their supposed curfew. “I also noticed you were shaking a little,” she said worriedly, “so I came over and wanted to make sure that you were okay.” 

Yuzu clasped her hands together on Mei’s, tracing small circles with her thumb in an effort to soothe her. It took her a few seconds to register Yuzu’s touch, realizing that her hands slightly grew numb and had been trembling, most likely due to her inner thoughts earlier.

Despite always coming across as someone who had their whole life put together, Mei wasn’t exactly immune to periodic bouts of doubt and anxiety. Back then, she would often brush those thoughts aside, and instead, focus on other, more important matters to her such as maintaining her family’s legacy and inheriting her grandfather’s school. She had no time to think about whether or not her father would come back or about the opinions of other people she barely knew. Those thoughts were often easy to ignore. 

But now, her hands were shaking, and she couldn't get them to stop. With the lingering doubts of wondering what kind of relationship she and Yuzu had now, it became more and more difficult to ignore her bubbling anxiety as she usually would, especially as the younger girl stared at her quivering fingers. 

“I’m fine.” Intertwining her fingers with Yuzu’s, Mei inhaled deeply as the older girl’s warmth dissipated her previous thoughts. Her hands were still quivering, but seeing Yuzu in front of her, gently tending to her, put her more at ease. 

“Are you sure?” Yuzu asked again. 

“I’ll feel a little better once we get home. I think I’ve had enough tonight,” Mei answered before noticing Yuzu’s somber face. “What’s wrong?” 

“I shouldn’t have left you alone again,” Yuzu apologized, thinking that Mei’s downer mood was due to her. “I know you said it was fine and you wanted me to have fun, but I know all this,” referring to the party around them, “is still new for you. I hope other people didn’t bother you all too much.” 

Mei smirked. “Well, to be honest, your friend might’ve been pestering me into a conversation with him earlier.” 

“Oh geez,” she fretted as she hung her head low. “I know Kyo can ask a lot of questions and ramble on for who knows how long, but believe me, he doesn’t mean any harm!” 

“It’s fine,” Mei chuckled, “Truth be told, I find myself warming up to him a bit.” 

Yuzu paused for a moment and blinked in mild disbelief at the younger girl. “Really?” Hearing this from Mei was a surprise for her, especially considering how cold and withdrawn she was towards him when they first met. Because of her initial reactions and how skeptical she appeared to be whenever Yuzu would bring Kyo up, the older girl thought it would take her much longer to grow fond of him, much less get used to him.

“Yes, really. I find him a little strange, maybe even a little annoying. But it’s like you said, he doesn’t mean much harm,” then added, “He actually reminds me of you sometimes.”

Yuzu pursed her lips at the comment and whined at her girlfriend. “What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t find me that annoying do you?” 

“Maybe at first,” Mei smiled, “You always had a habit of violating rules. You never wanted to conform to the dress code, your grades...always needed work, and I never understood why you’d rather pay attention to those fashion magazines rather than the school textbooks,” she let out a stressed sigh with that signature eye roll before continuing, a smile still remaining on her face, “And don’t get me started on your hair color. You were so difficult to manage in the beginning and stood out so much it angered most of the staff when you first enrolled. You ended up capturing everyone’s attention,” then muttered to herself, “including mine.” She looked up when she finished, seeing a mischievous grin growing on Yuzu’s face. “What’s with that look you’re giving me?” a crimson blush spread across Mei’s face, thinking the older girl must have heard her last remark. 

“Admit it, Mei. You liked it,” Yuzu teased, playfully poking the younger girl’s nose. 

“I won’t confirm nor deny that,” Mei casually said, averting her eyes away. 

“But you’re not denying it,” Yuzu pointed out in that sing-song tone of her’s. 

Mei just rolled her eyes in response, attempting to go about the rest of their conversation in a casual manner. 

“Anyway, I think I’m done for the night too. Besides... “ Yuzu leaned her face towards Mei, ignoring how warm her own face was becoming, and smirked at her girlfriend in the usual teasing manner, “I was thinking maybe we could have a bit of our own fun later tonight.” Heat radiated across Yuzu's cheeks as she reverted back to her somewhat shy demeanor after what was said.

Mei raised a brow and smirked, noticing Yuzu’s slight hesitation in being so forward. “Fun? And what would that fun be?” 

“Oh, you k-know! Just the usual!” the older girl stammered. “I-I was t-thinking maybe a movie, some popcorn, and I finished all my homework so...w-we have a whole night to ourselves.” Yuzu tried to play off her night plans with Mei as innocent suggestions. But Mei knew better and could see right through the older girl’s true intentions. 

Mei chuckled. “I think it’s perfect.” 

Yuzu beamed in response, a victory dance going on in her head.

“Alrighty! I just gotta tell Kyo and some others we’re leaving.”

“Kyo actually left a bit earlier,” Mei mentioned before Yuzu let go to search for him. 

“Oh, already?” Yuzu said in confusion. “That’s weird. He said he snuck out just to be here. I didn’t think he’d want to go home so early.” 

“And why is that?” Mei asked, genuinely curious. “He told me that he felt bad about leaving his brother after disobeying him and decided it was best to return home rather than spend his whole night here.” 

Yuzu was about to say something in response to that, but when she opened her mouth, something stopped her. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to mention anything about Kyo’s difficulties with his brother, not because she was afraid of Mei’s reaction if she were to find out his brother was the same person Yuzu punched, but more because she didn’t feel it was necessary for her to explain a personal matter about her new friend’s home life. Instead, Yuzu brushed off the subject and focused back to her and Mei.

“By the way, I hope you don’t mind these,” Yuzu gestured to their surroundings, “becoming a little more of a...frequent thing. Kyo said he knows about a few more places we could go to, and after tonight, I figured maybe it’s not a bad idea to go to another,” then reassuringly added, “Of course you can always come with if you want!”

“As long as you remain responsible,” Mei reminded. “I don’t want you falling back to your old habits. And I wouldn’t want Grandfather questioning whether or not it was a good idea for him to accept us being together,” she let out a heavy sigh, “I’d rather not have us endure another lecture from him again.” 

The first time they decided to confront her grandfather about their relationship, and that Mei had no intention of going through with her marriage with Udagawa, she wasn’t sure what to expect. On one hand, maybe she didn’t need to tell her grandfather. She and Yuzu could just run away together. But Yuzu adamantly opposed, much to Mei’s surprise. Yuzu didn’t want to live the majority of their lives in fear and argued that if anything, Mei would not confront her grandfather by herself. 

As she had once told her, “We’re partners in this Mei, whether you like it or not. Besides, he’s my grandpa too and it wouldn’t hurt to get a blessing from him.” Mei almost let out a chuckle at remembering the fierce scowl on Yuzu’s face and the sharp determination in her emerald eyes. It was almost as if she fell for her all over again.

When they did decide to confront her grandfather, it was almost everything Mei expected. Frustrated, displeased, and downright disappointed couldn’t even begin to encompass his initial reactions towards the news that his own granddaughter would much rather pursue a relationship with her step-sister than with the man he handpicked for her. She could still recall her grandfather’s harsh words thrown at Yuzu, blaming her for influencing Mei to stray from her original path. She remembered having to remain silent during the whole duration of her grandfather and Yuzu’s argument, only jumping in to keep her grandfather from potentially suffering from another stroke. 

Recalling that last part made Mei wince inwardly with guilt.

At the end of that day, they were both kicked out of his home, making Mei believe that maybe her initial plan of running away would’ve been a better option. He was most likely going to disown her after all of that. But if she had to be honest, a part of her didn’t really care. Disowning her would’ve been much better than finding a way to separate her from Yuzu. However, within the last days of their high school years, he had contacted them, requesting their presence.

“I am still not satisfied with this…partnership,” he once told them, failing to conceal his dissatisfied grunt. “But I will only come to accept it on one condition,” causing Yuzu to lean in. “If you can prove to me that you are a capable partner for my granddaughter, maybe even more worthy than the candidate I chose for her...then maybe I can find some peace knowing that Mei will be in good hands after I am gone.” 

With a smirk, Yuzu didn’t hesitate to accept his challenge. Mei still believed her grandfather was far from accepting their relationship, but his supposed compromise was better than nothing. 

“Don’t worry, Mei!” Yuzu happily reassured. “You’re looking at the new and improved Yuzu. I won’t fall behind! Besides, Gramps should realize by now that as long as I have you, nothing can stop me!” 

Under that determined smile and fiery gaze, Mei saw trepidation laced in Yuzu’s eyes. The younger girl mentally scolded herself, believing that Yuzu’s slight fear was caused by her own careless mentioning of her grandfather’s views on their relationship.

“What’s wrong?” Yuzu asked, dropping her usual carefree demeanor, noticing the change in Mei’s expression. 

“Oh, it's nothing. Just a little tired, I guess,” Mei paused for a moment, thinking about how to approach asking Yuzu a question without accidentally digging into any more unwanted memories. “Um, Yuzu? Are you feeling okay?”

Not that Yuzu didn't appreciate her girlfriend’s concern, it didn't stop her from wondering what brought Mei to ask such a question.

“Huh? Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I be?” stifling a yawn. “Maybe I’m also a bit tired after tonight. But it’s nothing that a little movie and us on the couch can’t fix! I’ll even let you pick what we can watch tonight!”

“Okay…” she mindlessly responded, attempting to brush off the mild anxiety the other gave at the moment.

As the two said their goodbyes to the people they met that night, the two walked out, hand in hand. Though Mei still felt her hand trembling, holding onto Yuzu guaranteed her the comfort and security the older girl said she would always provide. But for Yuzu, the sensation felt odd. 

She couldn’t tell whether it was Mei’s or her own hand shaking.

After Yuzu and Mei arrived home, their worries they kept to themselves seemed to slip away in the calm evening. Throughout the film, the night composed of the two resting in each other’s arms, with Mei making occasional commentary from time to time and some chuckles from Yuzu’s end. It didn’t hurt that a few kisses were exchanged between the two while the movie played in the background. 

By the time the movie was over, both had fallen asleep, with Yuzu’s head resting against Mei’s chest. Listening to the rhythmic pulses of Mei’s heartbeat helped soothe some of the older girl’s fears she harbored towards Mei’s grandfather. Even after Yuzu set things straight with Mei’s grandfather, telling him they were going to be together no matter what and that his rules and traditions didn’t apply to them both, endless questions such as “What if I can’t get good enough grades?” and “Can I be the partner Mei needs?” would often swarm her mind. 

But right now, in the darkness of their apartment, with the ticking clock and Mei’s breathing being the only sounds in the background, it was as if the past didn’t matter as much, knowing she could lean on Mei comfortably in the safety of her arms. 

For Mei, the same could be said. She never really made that decision for herself, having relied on Yuzu throughout that time period. In the end, she couldn’t oppose her grandfather for what she truly wanted. In many respects, her grandfather was right about Yuzu influencing her from straying from her intended path. Yuzu always needed to be there. Yuzu always needed to hold her hand to get through the worst of it. Without Yuzu, Mei was like a leashed dog, having no voice, no power, and always having to remain obedient to please her grandfather.

And that knowledge shook Mei to the core. 

She looked down, stared at her sleeping girlfriend, and wondered how long was Yuzu going to maintain her bright and cheerful facade around her. How long would it take before she realized there was a better opportunity out there rather than being left with Mei?

“Hmmm...” the younger girl snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Yuzu shift against her. “Mei…” she heard Yuzu mutter, “Mei...I love...you, Mei.” 

With those spoken words, a sense of relief washed over Mei, her fears less pronounced. Holding her closer, one hand outreaching to drape the blanket over them, she muttered a soft, “I love you too, Yuzu,” before drifting off into a peaceful slumber.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Citrus may be over (and may have lowkey messed up my plans), but hey this is canon divergent after all so... 
> 
> I literally don't know how many chapters there are going to be at this point. Every time I wrote a new chapter, it would just get longer and longer and I'd have to extend it to the point of splitting it and...it's a mess. I had a bit of a hard time writing this chapter but I hope it goes well! 
> 
> Just a note I wanted to add, but I really don't know how the college system works in Japan, so I'm gonna try and do my best not to mix too much of the Westernized system into it if they're that different. But enough of that, I wanted to update this before I start school so here you go. Here's chapter 5~

Like Yuzu had mentioned, attending the college parties became more frequent. And while Mei agreed upon allowing her to do as she pleased, she’d be lying if she said she was thrilled that these social events became more of a habit. It wasn’t so much that she was afraid of the blonde falling behind in her studies. Over the past three weeks, Yuzu had already fulfilled her promise to Mei that she would continue to remain on top of her studies, often working ahead so that she both have fun at these parties while still spending enough alone time with her girlfriend.

Mei shouldn’t have been complaining so much. Yuzu was staying on track and even excelling in her studies within past few weeks that went by. With Mei’s help, she created a detailed color-coded study schedule for her that would help Yuzu organize her time more effectively.

From Mondays through Thursdays, Yuzu spent much of her time studying and cramming lessons in her brain on her college campus. And during those nights, Mei would spend hours tutoring her in the apartment until the older girl would doze off to sleep. Especially after their term grew busier with each passing week, the two began to see each other less and less. The long tutoring sessions that went on until almost 1 in the morning were the few times they were able to spend any quality time together. It wasn’t much, and even their dates became less frequent, but it was enough for the two of them.

Some weekends were spared, where she and Yuzu would run some errands or simply cuddle on the couch together. But with what she was witnessing from a distance, Mei began to feel as if those moments weren’t enough for her.

“Aihara-san?” Kyo asked in concern, resisting the urge to poke her on the shoulder to get her attention.

“What is it?” Mei crisply replied as she sipped her drink and stared at Yuzu from afar.

“Um...I was just wondering if you were okay? You told Yuzu you’d be back in a few minutes, but I’ve noticed you’ve been standing here for awhile now.” Despite growing slightly more accustomed to Mei, Kyo still felt the occasional intimidating aura from her. Looking at his cup, he paused to take a sip of his soda, using the drinking time to escape a bit of the awkward tension he sometimes still felt around her. “I thought maybe if you were feeling sick.”

Maybe not physically sick.

About a few moments ago, Mei told Yuzu she needed to use the restroom. The party carried a relaxed and casual atmosphere, similar to their second one they attended. With the way things were going at first, Mei found herself actually having an enjoyable time with other people while with Yuzu. But after fixing herself up in the bathroom, the moment Mei saw Yuzu joking around and having fun without her, and instead, around a couple of college guys, all Mei felt she could do was just leave her be.

The blonde’s laughter rang in Mei’s ears and the younger girl clenched her plastic cup as her simple staring quickly turned into a piercing gaze. She didn’t know why she felt like this. Didn’t Yuzu originally tell her that she wanted to experience these new things together?

Doubts and insecurities began to fester in her mind again, and Mei had to remind herself of Yuzu’s stubbornness to stick by her side no matter what.

* * *

-A Couple Months Ago-

Back then, Mei once told Yuzu that their relationship was nobody else’s business. She remembered telling the older girl that as long as she continued walking tall with that inexplicable courage of hers, then they would be able to overcome any challenge that comes their way.

There were times when those words were applicable, but in this case, she doubted that courage alone would help them here.

“I’m not entirely sure about this,” Mei apprehensively said as her arms subconsciously wrapped around herself as a defense mechanism from the impending confrontation she and Yuzu had to face.

During her time away from Yuzu, Mei stubbornly convinced herself that she was willing and prepared to marry a man she didn't love for the sake of safeguarding her family’s wealth and legacy. She was so close to marrying Udagawa, desperately pleading to him to rush the preparations in order to take her place as the rightful heir to the Aihara family. Deep down, she knew it was her gateway into trying forget about the blonde after seeing how happy she was without her. But this was what she wanted, wasn't it? As much as Mei’s heart ached, seeing the smile on the older’s girl’s face had told her plan was going well.

A little too well.

Regardless, Yuzu’s smile nearly broke her resolve. And if she were to come running back to blonde, then she would potentially get in the way of Yuzu’s journey to move on and ultimately be running away from her own path. She needed to strengthen her resolve, for both herself and for Yuzu.

However, once Mei laid her eyes upon the determination laced in Yuzu’s tear-filled eyes, her resolve crumbled, and knew she couldn’t go through her marriage with Udagawa. At first, Mei felt as if she was disappointing herself for being so weak. Everything she sacrificed, everything she worked so hard for to become who she needed to be ended up becoming nothing but a wasted effort. But looking back on it, would she even have grown to love Udagawa the same way she did with Yuzu? Would she find a similar comfort in the older man the same way she could with Yuzu?

Would Udagawa be anything like Yuzu at all?

Would throwing away her happiness end up impeding her from being the ideal Aihara successor she needed to be?

It always went back to Yuzu. Her mind couldn't stop thinking about Yuzu. She couldn’t stop equating her happiness to being with Yuzu. No matter how hard she tried to pull away from her, there wasn't a day that went by where Mei never thought about her. And because of that, Mei was now almost certain that the marriage with Udagawa would've ended in a divorce, leaving her in an even worse, pathetic situation than before.

Their friends, or in that case, Yuzu’s friends, would all hate her. Yuzu would hate her. And attempting to seek any sort of comfort in Udagawa would most likely have led Mei to a life she’d be extremely unprepared for.

She couldn't even bear to imagine the life she would have to deal with if she took that [route](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13772898/chapters/31655844).

After explaining the whole ordeal to Udagawa, the man was relieved he wasn't going to go through with the marriage and proud of Mei for choosing what made her happy. Mei was about to apologize, but was instead bombarded with a swarm of apologies from the older man after realizing that she was the same lover that he had heard Yuzu gush about during her days working at his cafe.

Once Mei summed up the courage, realizing they weren't alone in their relationship, the only obstacle left they needed to face was telling the news to her grandfather.

“Hey, I know you’re scared,” Yuzu placed both hands on Mei’s shoulders. She could feel her body trembling from anxiety, and began massaging the younger girl’s shoulders in an effort to soothe her. “I am too. But we have to tell him either way. Sure, he’s probably gonna blow up when he finds out you left your fiancé for your step-sister...am I right?” She released a nervous chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood with a bit of humor. Mei only tensed up further, causing Yuzu to cut her laughter. Clearing her throat, she sighed, “Besides, he needs to know. Not telling him would only makes things worse.”

Mei, still trembling from the adrenaline of anticipation, looked at Yuzu in the eyes and nodded.

“Okay.”

* * *

“What?” the elderly man said in disbelief. He knew with his age, his hearing wasn’t the same as it used to be, and was hoping what his granddaughter was telling him was simply his ears misinterpreting words.

“I…” she hesitantly began. The deafening silence of the room twisted into an awkward tension. Shutting her eyes, Mei took in a sharp breath, hoping to force out the words her grandfather needed to hear. When she did open her eyes, she believed she was prepared to voice out herself out at that moment. But not even a whisper escaped her throat. Her hands balled up into fists, and she opened her mouth again to try and speak.

But again, there was nothing but silence.

Mei internally cursed at herself for not being assertive enough to stand up to her grandfather. Standing in his office with Yuzu by her side was already a huge step for her. She was already there, standing in front of him and ready to tell him that she was no longer going to bend under his will. Telling him should’ve been the easier part.

So, why couldn’t she say anything?

Noticing the tension constricting the younger girl, Yuzu grabbed ahold of her hand, assuring her that she wasn't confronting him alone. Yuzu could have easily stepped in, but similar to the time when Mei confronted her father before he left to travel again, she knew this was something Mei needed to do on her own.

Upon Yuzu’s touch, Mei’s initial fears melted away and was instead replaced with a newfound strength. As the younger girl took in another deep breath, she looked at her grandfather straight in the eyes and repeated with confidence, “I want to call off the marriage with Udagawa.”

The elderly man remained speechless. He looked down on his desk, focusing on recalling what Mei had just told him a few seconds ago. A few moments passed, and after registering her words, he took his glasses off, pinched the bridge of his nose, and released a heavy sigh.

“Mei…” he began with an almost disappointed tone, causing Mei to slightly falter. “What is the meaning of this? Is there an issue with Udagawa?” he genuinely asked.

“There was and is no issue at all,” Mei calmly stated, “It is just Udagawa-san and my interests do not align and we thought it would be best if we do not continue through with the marriage.” She paused, looked down, then tilted her head to look at Yuzu. Mei knew what needed to be done, what needed to be said, but Yuzu had reminded her that she didn’t need to rush herself when explaining. Regaining her resolve, Mei looked back up at him in the eyes and took in another breath to continue, “Udagawa had even told you himself he was willing to cancel the engagement, so I assure you this is a mutual decision.”

She heard him sigh again, preparing for a lecture, preparing for a blow-up. It would be lie if Mei said she didn't care about what he thought. While it was true that being with Yuzu again was all that mattered, seeing her grandfather’s deteriorating health made her fear that the news she was going to drop on him would send him to an early grave. And Mei couldn't bear to live with that guilt.

“I made sure he was a better suitor for you…” he muttered, releasing another stressed sigh. “Udagawa was an ideal candidate and far better than your last fiancé. What could've went wrong?” The elderly man continued muttering his thoughts about this situation under his breath most likely trying to figure out who could be another suitable person Mei should marry. It didn’t make sense to him why this engagement was falling apart. For the majority of his time in the hospital, he carefully went over each possible candidate that would be an ideal husband for his granddaughter while also being a valuable asset in securing the Aihara family’s wealth and status.

With Mei being the only child of the family, combined with his own failing health, his fears only worsened. Had Mei already been engaged long ago to someone who wasn’t vile, malicious, or trying to sneak their way into the family wealth, he would have easily enjoyed the rest of years peacefully. But now, with the marriage being cancelled, he felt he hastily needed to find yet another replacement.

If not, he would lose everything he built and worked hard for for his family.

Who would take care of Mei once she succeeds him in being the next head of the school and family? And most importantly, who would be the next heir of the Aihara family after Mei? Mei’s grandfather grunted, releasing a strained cough, then sighed again, almost as if he was disappointed in himself for not being prepared enough. Maybe if he only paid more attention to what was going on with Mei and maybe if he paid more attention to what kind of person Amemiya was, then he probably wouldn’t be in this current dilemma.

If only he found Udagawa and made him his granddaughter’s initial fiance...

Then he realized something as he looked up to face his granddaughter. Yuzu was right beside her. She wasn’t an Aihara by blood, and he still wasn’t entirely fond of the blonde. However, Mei firmly told him that the older girl deserved to be in the room with them, especially since the news he needed to hear involved her.

“I feel there is more to this,” he probed. He settled his glasses back on his face again and adjusted them. “What are you not telling me, Mei? You cannot possibly tell me that you and Udagawa are calling off this marriage because of some differing interests.” He then narrowed his eyes towards Yuzu. “What were these differing interests that caused you two to break off this marriage?”

Mei stood her ground. She gripped Yuzu’s hand tighter, prepared to deal with the brunt of his anger. It was now or never.

“I chose to break off the marriage because I have no interest in him,” Mei voiced out, “I want to be with Yuzu.”

Again, the man was speechless. Mei wasn't sure if he was too shocked or didn't hear her the first time. Despite the elderly man’s developing hearing loss, deep down, she knew it was the former, and chose not to repeat herself.

“She said…” Yuzu jumped in.

“Stop,” Mei’s grandfather interrupted, “I already heard you the first time.” He shot a glare at Yuzu, then towards his granddaughter. “Do you have any idea what you're saying, Mei? What you're doing?”

His reaction caused her to lower her head in shame, eyeing only the ground. Her chest felt like lead, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

Simultaneously, the elderly man felt his chest tighten, but ignored the growing pain, unable to face the possible reality that everything he built throughout his whole life was crumbling right before him.

“Udagawa was the perfect suitor and husband for you. With his background and expertise in business management, he would have saved you the trouble of managing this school all by yourself, Mei,” he paused, trying to maintain his volume. Taking a deep breath regain his growing temper, he continued, “And now you're telling me that you're willing to throw all that away just so you could pursue a relationship with...with…” he couldn't bring himself to continue.

Mei still couldn't bring herself to speak up. She stood there, in front of his desk, frozen. All her body wanted to do was stand there and continuously take his criticisms. Whether or not they were deserved was irrelevant. As much as Mei wanted to be with Yuzu, she really believed she nothing but a disappointment to him.

“With what?” Yuzu challenged.

“With a woman! A delinquent! And her step-sister, no less!” he fumed. He leaned back in his seat, taking deep breaths to relieve his constricting chest pain. “Think of what others will say. What others will think of us!” He paused again, feeling his hands go numb. Inhaling slow, deep breaths, he balled his hands into fists, attempting restore circulation.

As soon as he regained his breathing, he mentally reminded himself to restrain from lashing out too much. If he suffered through another stroke now, there's no telling where the future of his family would be once he's gone. He needed more of a reason, an explanation to why Mei would all of sudden abandon her duties and responsibilities so that she could pursue a relationship with this ordinary woman. “Is this your way of rebelling against me, Mei? Is this because of the mistake I made with setting you up with Amamiya?”

Of course that needed to be brought up again. As stubborn as he was about his ideals and beliefs, allowing his granddaughter to be engaged to a man who easily swayed him with empty promises of continued prosperity was the one decision the elderly man terribly regretted. Choosing Udagawa was meant to be a sort of redemption for his past mistake, despite the negative consequences his granddaughter’s previous fiance might have brought upon her. The more he thought about it, what Amamiya had done to Mei might have been a factor to why she was backing down from her engagement with Udagawa. In his mind, the idea of Mei developing a fear of older men seemed like a logical explanation to why she wanted to turn down Udagawa.

For the next few minutes, he went on about how he spent decades establishing his foundation for higher education in order to escape poverty during his generation. He mentioned how he was once like Shou, and in many respects, like Mei to an extent. He wanted to leave Japan to find a better life ultimately for himself, he fell in love with a woman he wanted to marry, and a plethora of other things he wanted to do throughout his life. But unlike his son, he stressed the importance of the group over the individual, and decided to stay in Japan to create a better life for future generations of the family, despite how much he suffered through the sacrifices he made.

“I knew the choices I made were the right ones because I was thinking of the future of our family. Your father didn’t understand that,” he bitterly mentioned, “But I was hoping you would. You and your father wouldn’t have the life you have now if it wasn’t for these sacrifices I made.” His eyes lowered down to his desk and his voice came out as a sigh, “I didn’t want you to suffer the same way I did. Is that what you want to impose upon yourself? Upon future generations of this family?”

Mei’s head lowered even further upon hearing his stinging comment.

“So, don’t be selfish and tell me you’re willing to risk our family’s future and tarnish our reputation by engaging in this phase of your’s,” he sternly criticized.

Embittered by his explanation, Yuzu clenched her fists and grit her teeth. She had heard enough from him.

Not wanting to suffer? Future of the family? From the way Mei grew up, what family did she really ever have?

“She wasn’t happy…” Yuzu lowly mumbled.

“Sometimes we need to sacrifice that to reinforce a better future for others,” he lowly grunted.

“That doesn't help anyone,” she argued as she thought about how much Mei dehumanized herself just to please her grandfather. “What’s the point in doing anything if you know you can’t be happy from it?”

“Everything you speak is nonsense, ideal, and naive. And now I see that you were the one who twisted my granddaughter to be this way!” he harshly accused, pointedly raising his finger at the blonde.

“Twisted her into what? You mean teach her how to be an actual person and live for herself?” Yuzu cried, her throat and chest burning from rage. “She can’t even make her own decisions without anyone else’s approval because of your messed up idea of ‘sacrificing happiness’! All she ever did was lock herself in her own house, never talking with anyone! Never making any friends! Never even having any fun!”

“Fun?” he scoffed. “Of course, someone like you wouldn't understand how people like us work,” he argued, but also tried to maintain his bubbling frustration.

Maybe having his granddaughter live with his son’s new wife and daughter at the time wasn't the best idea. Now, he began to think to himself that he should've paid closer attention to Mei and kept her under his roof until the day she married someone he deemed acceptable.

“You're right, I don't,” Yuzu shot back. “Because if I did, then I wouldn’t be speaking to you like this. I wouldn’t pay attention to Mei the moment she walked into me and my mom’s home. I wouldn’t have tried to understand her. I would’ve just treated her like an extra person my mom would have to feed. And…” she paused, trying not to think about the horrible situation her girlfriend would’ve been in if she hadn’t stepped in that day, “and I would’ve just let her marry that jerk, Amamiya…”

That last statement had broken his remaining composure.

Outraged, his seat scraped against the floor as he stood up from his desk. He couldn’t believe his ears. What right did this girl, unrelated to Mei by blood, have on telling him how to care for his family? Glaring down at Yuzu, he furiously shouted. “How dare you lecture me on how to care for my own granddaughter!”

But Yuzu was unphased by his anger.

“I will admit my shortcomings when it came to that despicable man,” he continued, “But everything I did, I did for Mei. I did what was best for her to ensure our family’s legacy would continue. After my son had...abandoned his role as the next heir, I turned to Mei-”

“And used her,” Yuzu cut in, much to her own surprise. The older girl could only guess that maybe she was channeling out Mei’s repressed anger towards her grandfather. With the way she was presenting herself, Yuzu almost didn't care.

Mei wanted to tell her to stop. She didn't want Yuzu to fight her battle for her. And most importantly, she didn't want her grandfather hating their relationship and Yuzu even more than he already did. Her eyes were still glued to the floor, and the tense atmosphere made her unable to tell how long time passed before her grandfather responded.

“I beg your pardon?” Mei’s grandfather balked.

“Just because her dad chose a different path for himself doesn’t mean you should dump all the burden and responsibility on Mei,” she stressed. “You say your decisions were for the best for Mei, but do you even know her. Do you even know your own granddaughter?”

“Of course I would know my own granddaughter!”

“Your granddaughter or an Aihara heir?” Yuzu countered. “What do you really know about her? Who she is as a person? Favorite color? Food? Her likes? Dislikes? You know, stuff like that! Maybe you could have acted like an actual grandfather to her instead of seeing her as nothing but you personal puppet.”

“Those things are trivial and aren't necessary when important business matters are at stake-!” Choking on his sentence, the man started hacking and heaving.

“Grandfather!” The younger girl shot her eyes at him and rushed to his side, rubbing his back in an effort to quell his anger. Seeing the elderly man in such a deteriorating and sickly state snapped Yuzu out of her earlier attitude with him. As much as she didn't agree with the many things he believed in and the things he had put Mei through for most of her life, she didn't harbor any ill will or hate against the elder chairman.

The fact remained that he was still her family too. Possibly being responsible for his death could potentially make Mei hate her too. Actually, whether or not Mei would hate her for that was irrelevant. Yuzu would never forgive herself if she was the cause of sending him to an early grave.

“I'm sorry...for my behavior earlier.” She reduced the volume of her voice and lowered her head apologetically, before continuing. “But I would rather be naive, ideal, and full of nonsense rather than live the rest of my years in emptiness and regret.” Standing tall, Yuzu straightened her shirt and inhaled a deep breath, letting him know her final thoughts, “With all due respect Gramps, but I'm not going anywhere. I want to be with Mei and I know Mei feels the same with me.”

“Is this true, Mei? Is this your decision?” he looked into her eyes, trying find any slightest hint of hesitation in her choice. If pursuing a relationship with her step-sister was what she really wanted, then his foundation may as well die the moment he does.

Mei confidently nodded.

Although he detected some apprehension in her, there was a fire in her eyes that he hadn’t seen in her after many years. The last time he had seen Mei like this was when she enthusiastically declared to take over the academy after her father, or rather, after her grandfather. That was when Mei was only 8 years-old. And after nearly ten years of seeing, an admittedly, too obedient shell of her former self, the elder Aihara felt something crumble in him. But securing his school’s finances and future weighed heavily in his mind.

After calming down, Mei’s grandfather attempted to speak more about the issue at hand. But his mind was still too clouded from aggravation and panic.

There was no use in arguing with them any further. He needed time to process this information as well as find a way to sort out this dilemma himself. Sighing, he adjusted his glasses and did only one thing thing to show what little control he had left over the situation.

“Then get out of my house,” he calmly ordered.

* * *

“Well, that went well,” Yuzu sarcastically remarked, hoping to lighten the mood after the whole scene that went down earlier. While she was putting on a carefree attitude after the explosion that transpired earlier, Yuzu knew the front wasn’t just for Mei, but for herself too.

When Mei didn't respond, Yuzu’s expression faltered the longer the younger girl continued staring back at her grandfather’s mansion.

“ _Why am I so stupid_ ,” Yuzu mentally scolded herself.

She didn't know exactly what came over her. Unlike her previous rebellious actions against the old man, Yuzu had every intention of remaining calm and in control. This wasn’t exactly her battle she needed face. She told herself she would only speak up and give Mei the confidence she needed whenever she noticed the younger girl struggling in the confrontation. But the moment the elderly man lectured Mei about the importance of helping the family, something broke in Yuzu, and the older girl immediately lost herself in her own fit of rage.

Telling Mei’s grandfather about their relationship had finally been achieved. And despite his reaction, didn't need to get a hospital involved, which was even better. Everything the two saw from him was everything they anticipated. The challenging part was over, and with where the two were now, Yuzu would’ve considered their confrontation with Mei’s grandfather, a victory.

But with the way Mei’s gaze lingered towards her grandfather’s home, Yuzu couldn’t help but feel a creeping guilt for potentially causing him to have another stroke.

Stopping in her tracks, Yuzu crouched down, lowering her head as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. Despite her bolstered confidence earlier, that was all slipping away faster than she could anticipate. Before she knew it, a myriad of thoughts began clouding her mind.  
Why did she yell at him? It would’ve been better off for her to remain as a supportive crutch for Mei while the younger girl would do her best to convince him to at least accept the fact that she and Yuzu are, and will continue to be, together. If she could’ve just stood still for however long they were going to be in his house and let Mei do all the talking, things didn’t have to escalate like they already did. With the way she presented herself to Mei’s grandfather, what if he saw her as an even bigger negative influence towards his granddaughter? What that would be enough to convince him not to allow his granddaughter to be with her?

“Yuzu?” Mei asked in concern after noticing the older girl lower to the ground.

Creeping doubts continued to plague Yuzu’s mind, ignoring the unfamiliar numbness caused by her chest closing up. Questions upon questions began piling in her mind. She knew her brain was probably going out of control at this point, but...

Before she knew it, an abrupt gasp escaped her throat. Dropping to her knees, she clutched her chest and began coughing and hyperventilating. Each time she tried to inhale, her body involuntarily forced her to exhale.

A rush of panic surged through Mei when she saw Yuzu struggling to breathe properly.

“Yuzu!” she immediately knelt down and lightly gripped the older girl’s shoulder.

“It's okay,” Yuzu managed through her heavy breathing, putting on a smile to lessen the younger girl’s worries. “I’m okay, Mei! This is nothing.” But her heaving continued.

Loosening her grip on Yuzu’s shoulder, Mei redirected her hand and began softly rubbing at her back in an effort to calm her down. Though Yuzu already dealt with this drowning sensation before, that didn’t necessarily make what she was currently going through any easier.

Yuzu inhaled deep breaths, mentally reminding herself of what was currently going on, where she was, and who was with her. When she got ahold of the situation, short breaths eased into slower ones, and Mei could feel Yuzu’s body relax in her arms.

“I guess I didn’t realize how freaked out I was until now.” The older girl released a strained chuckle.

Mei sighed, feeling herself relax as soon as the blonde began breathing normally again. After leaning into Mei, the younger girl cleared her throat, a sound that Yuzu was all too familiar with before she would scold her.

Opening her mouth, Mei prepared to criticize the blonde for her brash attitude, but after what she witnessed a few moments ago, believed it would be best for her not to rile up Yuzu’s anxiety any further.

“I will say that what you did was rather impulsive and unnecessary,” Mei began softly, still maintaining a stern demeanor as she chided Yuzu. “And while I appreciate your defending of me, I don’t think it was worth putting my grandfather,” the reminder caused Yuzu to wince, “or _yourself_ through this pain.”

“I know...” Yuzu agreed, “But I couldn’t stand the things he was saying about us, and especially about you. All his talk about sacrificing things for the family, it’s just…” she trailed off, unable to continue speaking.

“I know.”

“I just hope I didn’t screw things up for you.” Yuzu balled her hands up into fists, still beating herself up for practically taking over Mei’s problem. “I know how much the school means to you and I’d hate myself even more if I was the reason Gramps decides disown you,” she then lowered her voice to a mumble, “I hope he’s okay.”

Mei sighed in disappointment over where Yuzu was directing her priorities. Typical, that Yuzu would be concerned for her grandfather’s health and the younger girl’s status as the Aihara successor after just experiencing a mild panic attack.

“That’s not important right now,” she stated, causing shock to plaster over Yuzu’s face. “My grandfather’s caretakers will tend to him. Despite your outburst, I think even he knows he doesn’t have much time left…” Mei shook her head, attempting not to think about her grandfather’s impending end. “What is important right now is if you’re okay.”

Appreciative of Mei’s concern, Yuzu’s dissipated confidence reignited and gave the the younger girl a small smile. Slowly she stood up. “Yeah, I’m okay now.” Pausing, Yuzu shyly averted her eyes to the side and absentmindedly began fidgeting her fingers. Mei watched her, expecting for the older girl to say something. “Hey, Mei?”

“Yes?”

“Did you really mean what you said? About the academy not being important to you right now?” She lifted her head to get a better look at Mei’s reaction, though the younger girl noticed a sense of sadness and doubt behind Yuzu’s eyes. “I mean, I know how much you spent your whole life working towards being Gramps’s successor.”

“That’s true,” she quietly replied as she stood up beside Yuzu.

Taking another look at her grandfather’s mansion, she thought about the life she had growing up, in both her grandfather’s and father’s house. Much of her memory was rather hazy, only recalling a cold and empty house she’d return to after school. She remembered how much time her father spent in his office, occasionally taking his time out of work to teach her the ways of being a worthy Aihara successor. Her grandfather on the other hand typically stuck himself deep into his work, only acknowledging her existence with an absent minded pat on the head, when she was around 8-10 years-old, or whenever he requested her to report the school’s status as the student-council president.

Now that Yuzu had mentioned it, maybe she was right about their family. Her grandfather made all that talk about how he did everything to ensure the well-being of the family. The wealth was meant to give their family everything, but it wasn’t something Mei needed.

“But,” Mei sighed, processing what she about to say, “Didn’t you tell me once that if there’s no way forward then I should just forge my own path?”

Speaking those words felt alien to her.

“Yeah, but-”

“I’ll figure it out,” Mei interrupted hastily, lowering her eyes to the ground. While she knew choosing to be with Yuzu was what she ultimately wanted, there were still seeds of guilt sewn into her after her grandfather expressed utter shame towards her. She felt as if she was forsaking her whole family the moment she chose to walk out the door after her grandfather ordered them to leave. Her whole life was dedicated towards her family, and now she was on the verge of possibly being disowned.

Her father may have been able to find an alternative path from becoming chairman of the academy, but becoming the future Aihara successor was the only path she ever knew. Now, she needed to find a new path for herself, and the prospect of doing so was incredibly daunting.

How could she ever figure out what to do next?

“You don’t have to figure it out right now,” Yuzu reassured as she took Mei’s hands into her own, “But I just wanted to let you know that I’ll help you out, or even just be here for you when you need it. You don’t have to figure out your entire life alone, okay?”

Those words echoed in Mei’s ears, causing her to look up at Yuzu. Finding a new path for herself wasn’t going to be an easy process, but at least she wouldn’t have to go about it alone.

Feeling her tension slightly melt away, Mei nodded. “Alright.”

* * *

-Present Day-

“Aihara-san?” Kyo repeated, breaking Mei out of her trance.

“Sorry,” she apologized. Swallowing her pride, Mei recollected herself as she thought rationally about her relationship with Yuzu. “Just tell Yuzu I’ll return in a minute. I just needed a break from the crowd.”

“Ok then.”

He walked back to inform Yuzu, and Mei noticed how the boy pointed to where she was so that she could see her. When Yuzu turned her head around, a look of surprised relief washed over her face and gave a smile and wave at her girlfriend.

That smile and the way she looked at her reminded Mei of the many times she saw Yuzu’s silent, adoring gaze during their long study sessions together. Seeing that smile was just enough to make Mei forget about her heated and trivial jealousy from earlier.

* * *

For the next few more weeks, the parties continued. They weren’t necessarily a weekly thing, much to Mei’s relief, but as soon as Yuzu found her own group of friends in college, she began spending more time at their places sitting, talking, and sometimes playing a few games. Yuzu never got to the point of drinking alcohol at any of these events, and as always, Mei still accompanied her, and the cycle continued.

While Yuzu grew more accustomed to her college life, Mei began growing more and more displaced each time she chose to go with Yuzu at these parties. And almost each time, despite Mei’s efforts to let other people in, the younger girl found herself at a distance, typically withdrawing from the crowd every time she saw Yuzu have more fun with other people than with her.

“I’m being ridiculous,” Mei muttered to herself, “I’m not the only person in her life.”

They attended different universities, so it was only natural that Yuzu would develop some connections with others. Of course Yuzu would have fun and naturally draw other people in. It was one of her special traits that Mei was secretly envious of. Other people have told Mei she carried a gravitating aura herself. But it wasn’t the same. Those people only admired her from afar, but still kept at an arm’s length away.

Though Mei kept reminding herself that Yuzu would never selfishly abandon her, each party they went to, each smile she saw from the older girl that wasn’t towards her, almost made Mei begin to doubt the words Yuzu said that day at her grandfather’s house. If Yuzu could smile that same way among other people, would it be much of a difference if Mei was with her or not?

During those weighing moments of doubt, Mei thought it would be best if she stopped going with Yuzu, and instead, simply spend her time alone in the quiet of their apartment. But despite that thought, Mei subconsciously still opted to accompany the blonde. Yuzu still carried an enthusiasm to meet more people, while Mei counted the days, wondering when they would end, and wondering when her bitter jealousy would finally cease.

Yuzu still maintained her organized college work ethic, occasionally shooting a grin of achievement at Mei that the younger girl could never ignore.

“So…” Yuzu grinned as she showed her latest test scores to Mei. “I’m allowed to go to another one, right?”

“I...suppose,” Mei reluctantly agreed as she bit back her impulsive no at the back of her throat. “But you can make your own choices, Yuzu. If you feel like you’re doing enough in school, then I don’t see why you should keep asking for my permission. I’m not the student-council president anymore.”

“You’re still the student-council president to me,” Yuzu smirked. “Besides, it’s not just about asking for your permission. I care about what you think and…” her ears became redder, “I want you to be proud of me. That’s why I keep showing you all these grades.”

Placing her hands on Yuzu’s wrists, she lowered the paper down and enveloped the older girl into a hug. “I already am proud of you.”

Burying her face in Mei’s neck, Yuzu returned the hug, and they remained like that for the next few moments.

After pulling away, Mei added, “And to answer your question, yes you can go.”

Eyes widening, Yuzu beamed at her answer. “And you’re coming with, right?”

_No._

“Y-yes.”

As long as Yuzu didn’t fall behind, then what really was the harm?

The parties continued. And continued.

And continued.

Until one Monday night, Yuzu realized she slipped up.

“Oh crap!”

She realized she forgot to turn in an assignment for her economics class.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my beta reader, ArcanicSoul for helping me out with polishing up this chapter. I had some difficulty getting things down, but I'm really thankful for her help ^^

“Crap!” Yuzu quietly cursed.

Fork in hand, Yuzu kept it steady in the air as she averted her eyes to the side of the table and mentally retraced her steps from earlier today.

Though the older girl’s mild outburst was below her usual speaking volume, it didn’t stop Mei from halting her spoon and looking at her oddly, wondering exactly what Yuzu was thinking of at the moment.

“Yuzu?”

But Yuzu didn’t respond. Instead, her attention continued someplace beyond the dinner table and even beyond the moment.

After Yuzu had come home from a long day of classes, the night went on as usual. She’d come home to Mei finishing up her homework or cleaning the apartment, then spend some studying time with her, and the two would prepare dinner and talk about how their day went, as usual. However, while everything seemed to be perfect and normal, Yuzu couldn’t help but feel like there was something itching in the back of her mind the moment she dropped her bag home and gave Mei an “I’m home” kiss. She couldn’t exactly understand what was bothering her at that moment and even tried recalling, in almost as much great detail as she could, what she did needed to do in her classes just to make that nagging feeling disappear.

Nothing should’ve been wrong, or so Yuzu thought.

“Yuzu?” Mei repeated when the older girl continued staring to who knows what in silence.

Yet, Yuzu continued processing details of her day. Details such as what classes she went to, what she learned, and what she studied while she remained in the campus library were the only bits of memory the older girl was able to piece together. But the longer Yuzu continued processing what she did throughout the day, the more frustrated she grew when a gap in her memory remained.

It couldn’t be right.

She did everything she needed to, having paid attention in class, and so on. So, why did she feel like something was missing?

Suddenly, her eyes widened when the voice of her economics professor rang in her head.

_Remember to leave your homework on my desk Monday morning. It’s an important and vital assignment for this course so make sure you complete it!_

Not a second passed after a sudden realization flashed in Yuzu’s mind. Frantically standing up in the middle of dinner, the banging of the wooden dining table and the clanging of silverware on the older girl’s plate caused a surge of panic and confusion in Mei.

“Yuzu, what’s wrong?”

But again, the older girl could barely reply.

Rushing to her bag, Yuzu began ruffling through various papers, hoping she wouldn’t see a certain assignment still among her belongings. “Crap, crap, crap! Please don’t tell me I-” Color drained from her face as she she slowly pulled out her economics homework that was assigned last week...and was due this morning.

“Oh...my god,” she whispered in disbelief.

Her hands frustratingly ran up her face and through her hair as she stared at the completed but overdue homework assignment held in front of her. She could’ve sworn she turned this in this morning.

Or was that another assignment?

Yuzu shook her head, trying to regain her focus on the dilemma at hand. Worrying about which the assignment she handed in earlier wasn’t the issue.

Chewing the inside of her lip, Yuzu continued staring at her overdue assignment, mentally noting how else she needed her approach her situation. What kind of excuse could she come up with for this? How could she fix this? Hopefully, if she were to turn this in tomorrow or drop it off at her professor’s office she could at least get half the credit.

Out of sheer panic, Yuzu looked through the rest of her assignments she needed to finish, closely eying the due dates for each of them. Rather than sticking to her evenly paced schedule, she hastily grabbed a pencil from her bag. In a frenzy, the older girl immediately smacked the first assignment hastily pulled out of her bag onto the coffee table of their living room and mentally prepared herself to stay up for the rest of the night to complete every single assignment at all costs.

“Sorry about this, Mei!” Yuzu frantically apologized as she focused herself on completing each assignment. “You can finish dinner without me. I’ll just take care of my leftovers later!”

Mei got up from the dinner table with a sigh and walked over to the panicking girl. So this was her source of panic?

Kneeling down, Mei took ahold of her shoulders, hoping to get her to relax. Back in high school, every time Yuzu would miss an assignment, she’d brush it off telling Mei she could just “make it up some other time”, in that relaxed and carefree tone she always had. However, after turning over a new leaf, missing an assignment, whether minor or major, was no laughing matter.

Though the older girl had her bouts of fretting, Mei could tell this wasn’t anything minor. It wasn’t like misplacing her keys to their apartment or accidentally leaving one of her textbooks home. Usually, all it took was a single touch from Mei. On the shoulder, hand, or even a kiss on the cheek, it was enough to calm Yuzu down and forget her worries. However, as the younger girl placed her hands on Yuzu's shoulders, she was still shaking. Mere contact wouldn't pull Yuzu out of her state of panic this time.

Especially from how Mei felt Yuzu’s body tremble with apprehension, this must have been serious.

“How could I be so stupid!” Yuzu whispered, scolding herself.

In the midst of all this, all she could anticipate was the worst.

What if her grade drops significantly? What if this happens again? What if she falls back into her old habits again? What if she gets kicked out of her university?

What if Mei’s grandfather finds out about this?

That last thought drove Yuzu deeper into agitation, prompting her to chew her lip and rapidly tap her pencil on the table as her muddled thoughts kept her from properly focusing.

On the side, the younger girl looked at her hyper-focused girlfriend and almost gave her a look of disappointment. She knew continuing to head to those parties were a bad idea, and yet she didn’t even bother saying anything to Yuzu. She knew the older girl could make her own choices and had her own autonomy over her college life, but seeing her in this frantic state almost made Mei want to unload a long and drawn out lecture towards her.

A lecture?

Mei knew deep down that was the  _last_  thing Yuzu needed, especially in the panicked state she was currently in. So why had her thought first jumped to that?

That didn’t matter right now though. Not yet.

But if she had to be honest, Mei was unable to tell who she was more disappointed towards: Yuzu, for letting these party habits eventually get in the way of her schoolwork, or herself, for not being more concerned and outspoken.

If anything, Mei wanted to scold herself for being concerned about Yuzu’s party-habits for the wrong reasons. Instead of telling her she needed to tone down how many times she went to these social gatherings, Mei simply tagged along with Yuzu, acting almost like a watchdog. Instead of noticing whether or not Yuzu was staying on track with her studies, all Mei ever did was bitterly notice how often several college guys would interact with Yuzu. And instead of enjoying her time at these events like she once originally told Yuzu, Mei continued isolating herself from several people while Yuzu did most of the socializing.

Those images of Yuzu’s happy face, the face she made even without her by her side, continued to burn in Mei’s mind. She couldn't shake off her growing jealousy and would always feel her fingers twitch and her throat close up every time the memories of Yuzu happily interacting with those other college males came rushing back.

Feeling her chest tighten, Mei clenched her teeth as each and every one of those moments flashed in her mind. There were just way too many negative thoughts clouding her mind at the moment: disappointment, frustration, jealousy, sadness, and most of all...fear.

Perhaps Mei couldn’t get herself to admit that maybe she couldn’t trust Yuzu to go alone at those parties. And shamefully, the younger girl nearly let her anger and jealousy do the talking towards her girlfriend.

Her brain nearly went on autopilot, wanting to admonish, berate, and chide Yuzu for being so reckless and foolish. She wanted to say anything to make the older girl realize the mixed emotions she was feeling right now--anything to make Yuzu realize how much Mei _hated_  seeing her talk to other people so fondly. As if her existence didn’t mean much. She knew deep down in her heart that wasn’t true and although she took deep breaths herself to calm down, it hurt keeping those pessimistic thoughts back.

But before she could impulsively weigh down all the blame on her, sounds of gradual rapid breaths reached Mei’s ears.

Oh no.

Now wasn’t the time to place blame. Right now, she needed to be a supportive and reliable lover for Yuzu, something Mei knew she wasn't enough of back in high school.

Taking a deep breath to recollect herself, Mei gripped Yuzu’s shoulders a little tighter, rubbing her thumbs in circles on them in an attempt to soothe her. “Yuzu,” she calmly said in an effort to help her panicking girlfriend slow down. “Yuzu? Breathe. Inhale and exhale.” The older girl followed, taking in a deep breath to regain control of herself and to give her lover a tempo to follow. As Mei felt her girlfriend ease a little, she asked, “Do you need help with any of this?”

The question took Yuzu by surprise and turned her head to flash a look of confusion at her girlfriend. While Mei maintained her strict nature to others, moments of a warm and helpful Mei weren’t particularly rare for Yuzu. But usually by this point, Mei would be lecturing her about the importance of completing homework on time or maybe lecture her about how she never should’ve gone to those parties in the first place with that subtle “I told you so” tone.

Well, as subtle as the former student-council president could get.

“Ah, well…” Yuzu contemplated as she scratched the back of her head. The help would be greatly appreciated, but this was a mess the older girl herself got herself into. It would have been unfair to drag Mei into this mess--having Mei do her assignments when it should have her responsibility to complete them _on time_  herself. Then again...could Yuzu really afford to stay up all night? And even more importantly, could she deny her lover of her request?

“I don’t want you staying up all night,” Mei firmly interjected. “I can see the panic in your eyes and if this continues, it could hinder you from completing this assignment at all.”

A small smile of relief grew on Yuzu’s lips. Thank goodness Mei could read her well.

Yuzu’s shoulders eased a bit as Mei began soothingly massaging them. If it hadn’t been for that little gesture, the older girl may as well have lost herself in her own panic. Smiling, Yuzu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then smirked at her.

“You just want some time to cuddle with me tonight, don’t you?

Grumbling, Mei averted her head away, failing to hide her reddening face. Although Mei usually slept better when Yuzu was right next to her, especially when she’d curl her arms around the older girl’s waist, it’s not like she was helping her girlfriend with her homework just so she herself could get a good night's rest...or something like that.

A few of the habits Yuzu was starting to develop in college were beginning to remind Mei of herself back when she’d slave away some nights working on student council duties. And while the younger girl saw some good in having some of her traits rub off on Yuzu, it wasn’t worth having to see her girlfriend so worked up whenever she tried to reach perfection.

Mei had already gone through--Actually, no...Mei was already dealing with, and trying to overcome, that side of her. Besides, the younger girl would rather still have Yuzu, not another version of herself.

“Do you want some help or not?” Mei countered, trying to sound teasing instead of harsh. There was a hint of a smile at the corners of her lips.

“Yes please!” Yuzu quickly responded in an apologetic tone.

Chuckling at the effect she had on the older girl, Mei leaned in and gave Yuzu a kiss on the cheek for encouragement.

“Let me just take care of the dinner table first and then we’ll get started.”

She got up and smiled to herself as she returned to the dinner table. From that little reaction, it was enough to make Mei regain her sense of security in her relationship with Yuzu as well as forget the displaced and unwarranted anger she held towards her.

As Mei finished cleaning up the kitchen, Yuzu had forgotten her earlier worries the moment the younger girl offered to stay up with her.

Hopefully, after this issue is taken care of, things can go back to normal.

~~~

“I’m sorry, Aihara. But since this assignment is equivalent to a quiz, I unfortunately can’t give you any late credit,” her professor apologized.

“But Sensei! I--!” Yuzu halted mid-sentence, trying to figure out how to explain the situation properly to her professor. But when she opened her mouth, she stopped once again. What kind of valid excuse could she even give to her professor?

_Sorry professor, I forgot to turn in the assignment because I was too busy partying over the weekend._

“Yeah, that would be a great excuse,” Yuzu sarcastically thought to herself.

Averting her eyes downward, Yuzu wrapped her arms around herself as her fingers subconsciously fiddled with her shirt sleeves. Her professor continued staring at her. His eyes weren’t giving off the impression as if he was looking down on her for missing the assignment. Instead, he was simply genuinely curious and even a little concerned. Rather than speaking for her, he sat in his seat expecting Yuzu to continue, but she kept herself silent, unable to find a better explanation for herself.

Mei kept reminding her not to let her party habits get in the way of her studies, and for the most part Yuzu had everything under control.

Or at least, she thought she did.

It was only the first couple weeks of her first semester in college and she already messed up. She promised Mei she would be better. She promised her grandfather she would be a worthy partner for his granddaughter. And she promised herself, she would do everything she could to prove she’s better than the high school slacker and delinquent she was once seen as. Yuzu stood in place, paralyzed, as she mentally thought of the various ways she could fix her dilemma.

“I’m not entirely sure what I can do since my decision is final,” he mentioned, making Yuzu close up and beat herself up even more. “But the only thing I can probably tell you is that we have an in-class quiz in about 2 weeks. If you study for that, and maintain yourself throughout the rest of the term, you should be fine,” he finally added, hoping to give her some encouragement that missing this one assignment wasn’t completely the end of the world.

“I…” Yuzu began, but hung her head low in apology. She took a deep breath before looking at her professor again. “Okay, Sensei. I’m sorry for taking up your time.”

Deflated, Yuzu slipped her overdue assignment in her bag and turned around. She was prepared to walk out of her professor's office until he spoke out.

“You're one of my best students, Aihara, but I also want to remind you that missing this one assignment isn't the end of the world. You still have the rest of the term,” he reminded, his voice anything but condescending.

“Yeah,” she sighed, unable to believe the sincerity of his words, “I know.” She turned around to face him once again to give him a short apologetic bow. “I'm very sorry for not turning it in on time.” She then muttered quietly to herself, “...because I’m such a forgetful klutz.”

As she walked out of his office and towards her next class, Yuzu progressively tried to look towards the more positive things. Yes, she had missed one assignment. But as Yuzu tried to reason out, she couldn’t let that hold her back forever. She wasn’t chained down to certain expectations and obligations her whole life unlike Mei. Yuzu barged down Udagawa’s mansion that night to break Mei out of that mindset.

But…

Was it possible that Yuzu had unknowingly taken Mei’s place when it came to that mindset?

No.

She was Aihara Yuzu. She was her own person, and most importantly she wasn't going to let some minor assignment ruin her momentum in college.

Once she stepped in front of the doorway to her next class, Yuzu inhaled a deep breath and repeatedly slapped her cheeks to focus. “C’mon Yuzu! You can't quit now!” He did have a point, and Yuzu couldn't let this one slip-up mess up the rest or her term.

~~~

The day continued as usual. Yuzu regularly attended her classes and maintained her focus as best she could without letting the whole missed assignment dilemma get to her.

Her second class for the day was manageable and Yuzu sat through the lecture enthusiastically, listening and taking notes as the professor continued teaching. As soon as the class ended, Yuzu completely forgot about her worries from earlier morning. She was looking forward to her last class for the day, journalism. It was one of the few classes she’d always feel immersed in, and one she took great passion in. That wasn’t to say she didn’t enjoy her other classes she was taking for this term, but any class that focused around journalism media studies Yuzu often spent hours studying, reviewing, or even researching.

After her second class, she continued off to her third class, mathematics. She knew she wasn’t particularly great with it, but with the right amount of motivation she’d be able to get the grades she needed.

The same thing occurred. Yuzu sat down, took notes as she paid attention, and made a mental note of what material to study once she’d get home. Everything seemed to be looking up. She was gaining her momentum again and it seemed that nothing would stand in her way--

“...and don’t forget, your grades are completely dependent on your exams. So, make sure to study hard this term and there are no make-up exams.”

Her hand suddenly halted from taking notes during class. Oh right. She forgot about that little detail from this course.

That reminder from the professor spiraled Yuzu back to earlier morning. Imagine if she had missed an exam in this class. There was no turning back and the moment she’d mess up, it would destroy her chances of getting high grades for the rest of the term. Yuzu quickly shook her head again and inhaled a deep breath. Those exams were later during the semester, and Yuzu knew by that point she’d be done with her party explorations.

Although the academic pressure began to build up into a crippling weight, Yuzu managed her best to, again, focus more on the positive rather than dwell so much on the negative.

After her last class ended, she heard footsteps approach her as she was packing up her things.

“Hey, Yuzu!”

She looked up and found Kyo standing in front of her.

“Oh, hey!” she greeted back with the most utmost enthusiasm. “Did you want to walk out together?” adding a little wave after her greeting.

“Sure!” he smiled, gripping the straps of his backpack enthusiastically.

“Also, sorry for not saying much to you in economics class earlier,” Yuzu apologized, tucking a strand of hair behind her. “There was just a lot on my mind and I couldn’t stop thinking about all the work I had to get through for the day.”

The moment she said that it had occurred to Yuzu earlier during her lecture just _how_  heavy her workload was and that made her feel uneasy. But as she had been doing earlier, she shook off that weighty feeling and continued focusing on her conversation with Kyo.

As soon as she packed her things in her bag, Yuzu slung it over her shoulder and gestured for her and Kyo to walk out of the lecture hall.

They walked side-by-side, talking about the most mundane things. Whether it was about homework or how a certain professor looked during class, Yuzu just wanted to keep her mind preoccupied with other things. Regardless of how minor or mundane, Yuzu wanted to keep the negative out and the positive in.

Without even realizing it, Yuzu juggled her conversation with Kyo and mentally planning out her study schedule for the next couple of weeks throughout the semester. How long would she study? And how would she distribute her time for each class? She also needed to think about when she would eat, of course. There was also when she would spend quality time with Mei despite the younger girl’s equally busy schedule. How would she balance everything all at once? Five courses, her relationship with Mei, and basic necessities like eating and resting?

The longer she attempted to manage her time in her head, the less she was able to keep up with Kyo and her brain continued to go haywire organizing and making herself better prepared for the term.

It wasn’t long until their conversation halted.

A few seconds passed, then a couple more, then several, and before they both knew it, a minute of awkward silence had settled between them. Yuzu continued walking, simultaneously in focus and aimlessness. She wanted to turn her head and continue talking to her friend. But what else could she talk about with him to keep her mind from going back to her little slip-up?

Little slip-up? It wasn’t little at all.

Why did she even decide to go to so many parties like that?

How could she be so stupid?

Reckless.

Careless.

Did she not care about her future? Did she not care about Mei? She noticed how uncomfortable her girlfriend was being at those parties. Were the only things she cared about were parties, socializing, and meaningless activities rather than what was ahead of her? Rather than the opportunities in front of her?

Oh, here come the thoughts again.

Quickly turning her head, Yuzu searched for different other conversation starters that would push away those growing negative thoughts. Maybe she could ask him how classes have been going for him?

Or how his day has been?

“You already did that, Yuzu…” she thought to herself, deadpan.

Or if he finished the homework in one of their other classes they had together?

Homework.

Her head went back to earlier that morning, how she was practically close to begging with her professor to work things out with her. For her.

But the undeniable truth was, she was just irresponsible.

After swallowing a lump in her throat, Yuzu inhaled a breath slowly, then exhaled. She counted up to five or ten or however much she needed to until she was able to calm herself down.

After all, it was just one homework assignment, right?

She could just make things up later.

Hopefully…

Could her future really depend on a “hopefully” though?

A tense silence fell upon Yuzu as she mentally calculated how she would be able to save her grade and continue to impress Mei, and especially, Mei’s grandfather. While no other words were being shared between the two, Kyo kept his pace with Yuzu, occasionally keeping his curious gaze lingering upon her. He had a question in mind. One that might have been a little too personal. But Kyo couldn’t shake off his curiosity after what he overheard in their economics professor’s office. But every time he tried to speak, he turned his head away from her.

“No...I shouldn’t say that to her right now,” he muttered to himself.

His brother did once tell him his curiosity and constant questioning could possibly cause trouble for some people. With Yuzu’s behavior and her somber mood, it probably wasn’t the best time to ask about what he overheard while Yuzu was with their professor earlier.

How would Mei react to him knowing he asked Yuzu such a question? He felt a shiver down his spine just thinking about it.

Rather than focusing on his original question, Kyo was at least hoping to find a way to continue a conversation with her somehow.

“What was that?” Yuzu asked.

Kyo shot his head up at her, surprised that her ears caught his soft muttering.

“Oh no, it’s nothing!” he waved his hands frantically in front of his chest in an effort to dodge what his question was going to be. “I just wanted to say it’s okay you weren’t able to talk much earlier. But I kind of also wanted to tell you…” Kyo cleared his throat, trying to find the right words in his head. He was hoping he wouldn’t sound patronizing or nosy about Yuzu's missed assignment from their economics class.

He especially didn't want to give the impression that he may or may not have overheard her trying to plead for their professor to accept her late work.

Averting his eyes downward, he rubbed at his sleeve before casting an apologetic glance at Yuzu. “I can’t help but blame myself for that missed assignment. You know...since I was the one who introduced you to all those other parties.”

Stopping in her tracks, Yuzu shot her head up and quickly dismissed his train of thought. “What? Oh no! Don't blame yourself for any of that! I guess I let myself get carried away for a bit,” she chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

“You know, I also wanted to tell you that you shouldn't worry about economics so much. Besides, we have the rest of the term to bring our grades up,” he reassured, adding in a small but nervous smile towards her.

Yeah…” Yuzu feigned a smile through her half-hearted reply. “I know.” She had done her best in maintaining her usual cheery and upbeat aura around him. But that assignment.

That one assignment.

Missing it would completely mess up her perfect record in college, and it had only been a few weeks since the term began.

Mei was right…

Yuzu never should’ve made those parties into a habit, and now she was about to disappoint both her girlfriend and her grandfather.

Despite merely tolerating Yuzu being Mei’s partner, Mei’s grandfather had given their relationship a chance. It was a chance Yuzu knew she couldn’t screw up. Running away could have been an option. It was something that Mei had even suggested before, and yet, the older girl knew that would solve nothing. After the first confrontation with Mei's grandfather, the two thought that was the last they'd hear from him. But to both of their surprise, when he contacted them and spoke of his conditions for him to even remotely accept their relationship, Yuzu accepted his terms without hesitation.

To Yuzu, she felt that the future state of her and Mei’s relationship rested upon her and her alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have school coming up again and it's been awhile since I've updated this and wow I'm super slow lol, but I have...let's see...way too many chapters left ><
> 
> In all honesty, my time in school, general stress, and Citrus ending back in August had me lose traction with this story, so it's been super slow. But that's not to say I want to give up on it. To be honest, I feel like even though I have an outline, I'm just making shit up as I go lmao


End file.
